Pokemon Rising Star
by Laurleen
Summary: From Unova to Alola for a whole new adventure, to meet new people, make new friendship and discover and whole new world of Pokemon. Who know what is there to find in this new region about Pokemon, people, and mostly oneself?
1. The Send-Off

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed).**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them. **

**The Send-Off**

_BER-BER-BER-BER!_

My Exploud alarm blared to life in my small room of the two story house that stands on the outskirts of Castelia City. My body jerked awake at the eruption of noise as I let out a groan. I glared at the alarm clock proudly showing 6:30 AM and slammed my hand on the Exploud's "off" button situated between the two 'ears'. Once my good deed was done, I dropped my head back on the pillow, wishing to go back to the dreamland I have been so harshly expelled from.

Suddenly I jolted back awake and on a sitting position. Through the fog of my still half asleep brain had come the explanation of why I had set my alarm clock so early. Excited, I pulled my blanket away and got off bed. It would seem strange to many on wanting to fling off warm sheets from a cozy position in a comfortable bed. I have dealt with it too, more than once. But today was a different story. Today was 'the day'!

It's the day I was finally leaving on my own journey! And when I said 'finally', I do meant it. I should have done it six years ago, as 11 is the minimal age required for a child to get their first Pokemon and go travel around the region. I was flippin' 17 now and all I had was my Snivy I got from Professor Juniper. All that was thanks to my dad.

I remembered it rather well. The day after my 11th birthday, my old man told me that he wasn't going to let me go travel alone until I was at least 16 years of age. And mother agreed with it. No matter how much I pleaded, their answer – mostly daddy's though – was still no. So I had to see my friends and school mates go on their journey when I had to remain in school and study dry theories about Pokemon catching, Pokemon training and Pokemon raising.

Now, looking back, I had to admit he had rather good reasons: life on the road can be dangerous, even with a Pokemon, and could be expansive. I didn't have a job back then for obvious age reason, I only had my allowance. Then, even though I stayed home under his watchful eyes, dad still managed to fullfill my want for adventures, taking me on trips in the area, giving me tips to train Gaia – the name I gave my Snivy – and even letting us battle him and Inferno, his Emboar he had kept from his day as a trainer. We didn't win often, but we learned.

Though the best was when he introduced me to his motorcycle gang for my 14th birthday. I knew he used to be part of one when he was younger, with my mother, but I didn't think it was still going on today. And yet it was. He taught me how to ride his bike, first on deserted road, at a low speed, and when I learnt the basic and got my licence, he let me ride it whenever I wanted. Or rather, whenever I had behaved well enough to be allowed to. This lasted until I found a part-time job as a mechanic and bought one for myself. I laughed, recalling dad's face when he saw me proudly driving back home, riding Ferocity. Which I was bringing to Alola, of course.

Eager to get going, I rushed to my dresser and snatched my clothes. Most of them are dark colored, with hint of green of every shades. It was rather obvious it was my favorite color, and mom was always delighted to say that they had chosen my name well. I took a light green shirt, black shorts and clean underwear then went to the bathroom. Along the way, I knelt to wake up those two little rascals of mine. Both had their own beds: brown woven baskets filled with a red cushion for my Snivy, and a white one for Marie, the small Tympole I had adopted a while back. The two little Pokemon stirred and yawned.

"Wake up sleepy head. Today is a big day, remember?" I said with a laugh in my voice.

I took a very quick and very warm shower to finish waking up and got changed. All the while, I could head noise coming from my bedroom. I couldn't be certain what they were doing, but I had a very good idea that they should be chasing each other again… I sighed and took my hairbrush to try and tame my long midnight black hair. I have never cut them since I was old enough to take the decision. When this was done, I placed the hairbrush back down and quietly proceeded to open the door. As expected, my two Pokemon were running after each other, not caring at all that they could be disrupting things or pushing them out of their place.

"BOO!" I yelled as I violently opened the door which crashed against the wall. Gaia and Mary stopped in their track and Marie leaped in the air out of fear, which made me laugh. I laughed and opened my arms for them to hug me. If Marie bounced in my direction, Gaia took some more seconds to glare at me to show her discontentment.

"Com'on Gaia, it was fun." I said with a wink as she finally agreed to join the hug though she began to pat my cheeks with her tail leaf to annoy me, as a pay back for the scare I had given her.

"Alright, that's enough." I giggled after some seconds of it. I placed them on my unmade bed and put my hands on my hips. "So, are you ready for our journey?" I asked them. "You better be!" I cheered.

"You better be as well!" A deep voice from behind me interrupted me in my motivational speech, making my heart miss a beat.

"Dad! You scared me!" I yelled at him, turning to face him and his pleased face.

"Oh, I did?" he said, deceitfully guilty looking. He went into my room and gave a long look at the bag that I had placed on my beanbag chair the evening before.

"It seems you're all packed up." he said. "Are you sure you have everything you will need?"

"Dad… Of COURSE!" I couldn't help but exclaim after having rolled my eyes. "I did it with mom, and she had double checked it three times already."

"I know… Today is your journey. You need to be prepared."

"I am prepared." I said softly, putting Gaia and Marie back on my bed. "Dad, don't."

"Don't what?" he asked me, with obvious concern in his voice. It always pained me to see him so worried, but I shook my head. I wasn't going to let him have me stay.

"Don't get upset, you buffoon!" I completed. "You knew this was going to happen. And I have to thank you for letting me go." I added.

He nodded as he ran his hands through his thick black hair. "I know. It's just..."

"It's hard for you to let me go." I finished. "I have heard that a lot these past few days."

"Yeah… Well… did you have to choose such a faraway place to have your Pokemon journey? Why not here?"

I starred at my father and couldn't help but emit a small laugh. "That's too late for that now, dad. If you wanted me to go through Unova, you should have left me go years ago." From the look in his jade colored eyes, I can see that I have hurt him. But I wasn't going to take these words back, for they were the truth. I was 17 now, I could decide in which region I wanted to go on a journey. And I chose the most exotic one there was: Alola!

"I understand," he finally said, handing me my backpack and the thin black leather jacket I had put on it. It was my favorite jacket, the gang had given it to me for my last birthday and it had fake jadeites sewn on the shoulders. Of course I was taking it along. It would remember me the friends I had here, even though I was in another part of the world. "Don't forget to call us and tell how it is going…"

"Pokemon Center are the safest place there is, don't I go into dangerous locations. And if anything go wrong, I'll always be welcomed back home." I said in unisson with him, which made both of us laugh.

"Alright, you know your lesson by heart!" daddy said, ruffling my hair. I quickly put his hand away.

"Dad! Do you even know how long it took to brush my hair?"

"No idea, but you have no time to lose with it anymore!" he retorted with a wink. "Come down, your mother's pancakes must be ready!"

And indeed, the sweet smell of cooked dough reached my nostrils and made my stomach growl. Not caring about my hair anymore, I rushed downstair to the kitchen where mom was placing a plate full of pancakes in front of 'my' place.

"Right in time!" she said with a smile as I sat down and started gulping down the tasty pastry.

"Not so fast!" she said, though I didn't listen to her as I was too busy eating. "Hello cuties," she added as dad arrived with Marie and Gaia in his arms. "You want to eat too, don't you? Here I have what you need." She took both my Pokemon and put them in front of their bowls which were filled with Pokemon food.

"Will you be alright caring for them on your own?" she asked.

"Yes," I replied shortly. "I have been taught how to take care of Pokemon at school, mom."

"I know. But doing it at home isn't the same as doing it in the wild."

"I will be fine!" I snapped, getting up. "I'll be brushing my teeth then I'll be on my way!" I told them as I went upstair. Once I was done brushing my teeth and re-brushing my hair, I placed both brushes and toothpaste into a small vanity-case that I managed to pack into my bag. I then went to the wardrobe and took my black boots which I quickly put on before going to my desk and opened a small jewelry box that mom had given me when she still hoped I'd be more "feminine". There was only one jewel inside, one of my favorite items to wear with my jacket: a white spiked dog collar with a _real_ jadeite in the middle. Now I was ready!

Taking my bag, I was about to leave my room when I stopped, the door opened, and took one last look at the place I have slept for so many nights, spent so many days, making plans for when my journey would come, playing, training, learning… I didn't know when I'd see it again.

I frowned. Now wasn't the time to be nostalgic! I dashed out of my room and jumped onto the stair railings, almost missing it as I didn't take into account the weigh of my bag, but still slided down with extreme speed to the first floor where my boots clopped onto the tiled floor.

"About time you came!" A deep voice hollered out. I snapped around to find Chuck, a friend of the family, his arms crossed over his chest. Immediately after, I noticed his wife, Mary-Rose, Tyler, my best friend, and his grand father, Wolvis. All of them were in the living-room.

"You…. When did you arrive?" I stammers, happily and surprised at the same time. I didn't take that long, did I? I didn't hear them ringing the front bell.

"A few minutes ago," Tyler answered. "You didn't expect us not to come to give you a sendoff, did you?"

"I… Oh, guys, thank you for this," I hummed, walking to Tyler and to them. Chuck greeted me with a hard slap on the back, emptying my lungs.

"Aaaw, look at this, she's being all emotional..."

"I am not!" I countered.

"I am sure! Just as I am sure you'll be fine down there!"

"Actually… it's _up_ there, Chuck. Alola is a bit up North." I fired back in a sneer, that he completely missed and busted out laughing, then proceeded to ruffle my hair with a clenched fist. "I am so gonna miss that spunk of yas! Make sure ya don' lose it when yer up there!"

"I don't think I can lose it, Uncle Chuck." I said, pushing his fat hand off my head, the same way I had done with my dad's. "And please, no ruffling my hair… Dad did it already." I said, glaring at him.

"Guilty as charged," he said with a smile.

"Oh, but can I?" Tyler asked, and, not waiting for my answer, or rather, command, to not do it, he ruffled my hair even harder.

"I am gonna miss doing that!" He said, laughing until I elbowed him on the chest, making him stumble back from the impact. I watched him with a smirk.

"And _I_ am going to miss doing that!" I retorted. I could see he was going to say something, but he was interrupted by a 'clic'. Turning left, I turned to see my mother. And a camera. "Hey, you could have warned me..." I said.

"It wouldn't have felt genuine." she replied with a sad smile.

"Come on, we can have a last group photo before Jade leave," Dad said, and with everyone in the gang agreeing, I couldn't escape from this photo shoot.

"Enough of that," Mary-Rose said after what seemed to be the hundredth pictures. "It's time for Jade to leave. She won't disappear, and you have taken so many pictures of her..."

"Alright… We don't want her to be late," mom agreed with a sigh. "Besides, I bet you don't want your motorcycle to get dusty, do you?" she commented with a hum.

I grinned and hugged her. In return, mom clutched me hard, seemingly not wanting to let me go. She was just like dad, only more quiet about it.

"Mom, I will be fine," I whipered to her, and she eventually released me from her embrace, nodding and running her soft hand through my messed up hair.

"Be careful!"

"I will mom! And so do you!" I told them all, driving their undivided attention on me. Not waiting for them to say anything that would lengthen these already way too long good byes, I bolted out the door, Gaia and Marie in tow, and to the garage where my parents', as well as my own, motorcycle cruisers were parked. Or used to be as apparently dad had taken mine out and Ferocity was waiting for me in the drive way.

Snatching my black and green helmet, I dipped it on, climbed on to my bike and, with a rev of the engine, rolled out just as the gang was getting out of the house, smiling at me.

I waved at them. "Alright guys! We'll see you all later! Don't do anything stupid now!" I said with a thumb up, over the purring engine. Then I flicked my hand from the side of my head as a farewell and, with another loud rev, I sped off to make my way to Mistralton City and its airport to finally get my journey started.


	2. Pokemon Peer Pressure

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**Pokemon Peer Pressure**

__Welcome to Hau'oli City's Airport. This wonderful facility is keen on you feeling pleasure and safe all at once. The airport forbids any: firearms, bladed weapons, toxic chemicals, large cans of pepper spray. ____Please keep your Pokemon in their Pokeball at all time. Battling in the airport area is strictly forbidden for safety measures. ____We hope you enjoy the wonderful region of Alola…Welcome to Hau'oli City's airport…__

The robotic woman phrase repeated itself over and over in the large, cooled, bustling airport I had just arrived at. I had just made my way out of the airplane after a six-hour-long flight. I could feel Gaia and Marie growing restless into their Pokeball where they've been forced to stay from the moment I stepped into the airplane back in Castelia City.

"I'll be allowed to let you come out soon." I told them sternly, even though I understood their want to get out. Yet I couldn't do it. The airport was a crowded place with tourists all around chatting, messaging, checking maps or taking their time to move around. Some were with camera or their phone, taking pictures of the landscapes, their family or friends, or both, at different locations, the most popular one being the 10 feet large holographic map of the region itself. A little red star marked where we were on the island, with the universal phrase "_You are here_" under it.

I felt the urge to look at it overcoming me, but with the crowd, flashes of cameras and this region's atmosphere being new to me, I forced myself to not study it and to continue walking to my first destination: The checkout station. I needed my pass to get Ferocity from the storage area behind this airport. Luckily enough, once I had got out of the customs after having shown them my Unova trainer licence, the crowd was much more scattered. Besides, many other people I shared the flight with were headed to the baggage conveyor system when my only luggage was my backpack.

With that in mind, I quietly passed through the crowd with a rapid heartbeat. I had to admit that my mind was concerned with the clothes I was wearing. None here was anywhere near as "punk" as I was and I feared that this would draw attention to me. Most people here were wearing lighter clothing like short sleeve flowered shirt, shorts and light colored dress, bright skirts and tops… While I was wearing dark colored leather clothes. I shook my head, trying not to think about it.

"Alright...To the checkout area…" I whispered under my breath, looking around until I saw a dangling sign with one of the destinations it listed being the checkout area. Following the direction, I made my way through the wide building, weaving in, out and around group of people, making my best not to bump into anyone. As I thought, some eyed me strangely. Nevertheless, I made my way to the checkout station where there were only three people ahead of me. The line took a bit of time to dwindle down, causing me discomfort. So I adjusted my dog collar, playing with the jewel set in the middle. This familiar gesture made me feel more at ease.

Eventually, the registrar summoned me up to the counter. When she saw me walking to her, I noticed her looking at me up and down – or rather, as down as she could. My hand clenched in nervousness and, with a huff, I showed her my Trainer card and my driving license. She examined it with a computer, which dinged. She then handed me back my ID, license and a plain blue card along with it.

"This is your ticket." she said gently. "Give it to our staff that is at the entrance of the storage area so they will retrieve your item." The registrar told me.

I nodded in understanding. "Where is the storage area?"

"It's easy to access. You get out of the airport then turn left and left again. You'll see a huge warehouse. This is where your item will be brought at."

I nodded again. "And how long will that take, ma'am?"

"It depends how fast they are emptying the airplane's baggage hold." she told me. "Miss, if I may be so bold as to give you a piece of advice..."

"Yes?" I said, knowing full well what she was going to say.

"Perhaps you'd like to wear lighter clothes. Alolan weather can get really hot under the tropical sun of the region. Wearing a leather jacket and boots might be unsuitable."

"Alright, thank you." I replied curtly with a smile that I had plastered on my lips. No need to cause a scene when I just arrived. I took my items and slipped them into the smallest compartment of my backpack, just keeping the blue ticket in my hands.

Following the girl's direction, I rushed out of the airport, leapt off the short staircase, landed on my boots on the concrete and bolted all the way to the nearby storage area. I was hardly panting when I arrived. The staff member was standing there, a notepad in his right hand. For now, he didn't seem to be working though. He held his left hand out, in which there was a cigarette, signaling for me to stop.

"Not so fast, little lady," he told me with a smile. I huffed out an annoyed breath as I scuffled to him. "Are you in a hurry?"

"Sorta." I answered, showing him my ticket. He took it out of my hand, nodded a couple times while examining it and with a walkie-talkie ordered up _Ferocity_.

"Miss, please wait over there." He stated, pointing to a bench that was under an awning. "Your motorcycle should be here shortly." He puffed a few more times on his cigarette then crushed it under his shoe.

"Thank you!" I answered happily. "Sir, may I take my Pokemon out of their Pokeball?" I asked him before he left to get back inside the warehouse to whatever his job was.

"The rules are clear… No Pokemon are allowed within the airport…"

"I know, but they've been forced to remain in their Pokeballs for so long..." I pleaded. "I promise they will behave."

"Eh..." He scratched his head under his blue cap. "If they are small..."

"Oh, they are. Just a Snivy and a Tympole." From the puzzled look he gave me, I understood he wasn't familiar with those species of Pokemon, so I took my pokeballs out of my jacket's pocket and showed them to him. "See? They're small."

"Alright…" he eventually agreed. "But make sure they keep quiet. I don't want them to start making a mess here."

"No worry!" I promised, letting my two rascals finally get out of their 'prison'. As soon as she was out, Gaia sprinted to the bench, followed by Marie with long hops. The two took up the bench leaving me nowhere to sit.

"You know, consider yourself lucky that I just spent six hours stuck on a seat. I could totally chuck you guys off the bench." I sneered out before leaning on a post near the tiny waiting area.

Several minutes passed by that I spent on my phone, regularly checking my girls. Given the time it was, 1 pm according to my phone, I couldn't call my parents for I knew they wouldn't be available to answer, so instead I sent them a message telling them that I had safely landed in Mele Mele Island and would be heading to the Pokemon Center soon.

Then I suddenly felt a weigh landing on my shoulder, taking my attention away from my phone.

"Gaia? What's going on?" I asked her, looking in the direction she was pointing with her tiny 'paw' and I spotted my "baby" come up on a cart. Snatching Marie, I ran to my motorcycle as it was rolled out. With a quick thank to the worker, I clipped on my helmet that hung off the right handle, hopped onto Ferocity's worn out, leather seat, called Marie and Gaia back in their Pokeball, revved the engine and blasted off high speed out of the airport's vicinity towards the streets of Hau'oli City in hopes of going to the Pokemon Center for the night.

Thankfully, the directions to the island's major city were well indicated and the traffic was rather light so I made it to Hau'oli City in less time than I had expected I in the city's vicinity, I was forced to slow down as people here seemed to have forgotten streets were meant for car and motor vehicles and not pedestrians, so I took a longer time to get to the Pokemon Center than it had taken me to reach the town.

Once I was near the building, I parked my back and entered. As usual, a nurse was at the counter. This one looked different than the ones I had seen in Unova though. The clothing was pink, sure, but it didn't look like the uniform their Unovan counterparts wore. The cap was different as well. And if the nurse herself had pinkish hair, her skin was darker.

"Hello." she greeted me with a bright smile. "How may I help you?"

"Good day," I answered her, taking my trainer card out of my bag. "I am Jade. I have booked a room here."

"Sure, let me check this." she said, grabbing the document I was handing her and typing some informations in her computer. "Jade, from Castelia City, in Unova." She read. "Everything is in order." She handed me my document and a key. "Your room is on the second floor, number 12. You're lucky, you won't have to share it with someone tonight."

Good. Not that I really minded sharing a room,after all, Pokemon Center were for everyone, but if I could have the room all for myself, I certainly wasn't going to mind it.

"Thank you nurse Joy," I told her, heading to the room that had been assigned to me. It was rather small, with two one-person beds against one of the wall, two desks against the opposite wall. On the third wall, window opened on the garden surrounding the Pokemon Center. The matresses were bare and, after some researches, I found sheets and blankets in the wardrobe. I took what was needed for me to make the bed, chose the one that seemed to be the most comfortable, and started settling in.

However, before that, the first thing I did upon entering was, of course, letting Marie and Gaia out.

"No running around," I firmly told them. "We're not at home anymore and this isn't our room. So you need to behave." They seemed to catch the drift as they went to the unoccupied bed and quietly played together their game of Patty Cake using their tails to reproduce the movements they had seen me and my friends do so many times, all the while blabbering things I couldn't understand in their own language.

Once I was done making the bed, I placed my bag into the wardrobe. There were no need to unpack now. However I did take the Pokedex I had been issued by Professor Juniper all these years ago, the very same day I got my Snivy.

To be honest, I had been surprised to even get one, as I wasn't going to travel, but she had insisted I kept it, saying that, someday, it'd be useful to me. So when I had gone to tell her, about a month ago, that I was _finally_ going on my journey, she had looked so delighted. She had been much less so when I told her I was going oversea for it though.

"I see..." she has said. "Well, I doubt I could convince you to stay here, could I?" she had added with a smile. "I guess I could as well take your pokedex back..." I must have had looked disheartened as she smiled right away. "Of course I won't do that. It's yours, Jade. However you'll need to have it updated with Alolan Pokemon datas." She took a blank piece of paper from somewhere on her desk and wrote several words. "There, you shoud go see Professor Kukui. He is the one in charge of the researches on Pokemon over there. Either him or Professor Burnet."

"Alright. Thank you Professor Juniper!" I had exclaimed happily, placing the paper in the Pokedex so I wouldn't lose it. Piece of paper I now had in my hand.

"Gaia! Marie!" I called, "Time to go." I told them happily. "We have things to go before the night fall." It was enough for them to hop and jump in my direction. Gaia leaped on my shoulder and Marie made her way to my arms. I locked the door of my room and went downstairs to see that Nurse Joy was busy talking with two people. Happily, they were soon done.

"Excuse me, nurse Joy?"

"Yes..? Oh, Jade. Is everything alright? Would you like me to check your Pokemon?"

"Hm? Oh, no. Thank you. They had their check up back home. Your… relative said they were in top condition for the journey."

"Alright. I am sure my cousin is doing an awesome job over there." she said with a bright smile. "How can I help you then?"

"Well, I am looking for Professor Kukui or Professor Burnet. Would you know where I can find them?" I asked her, showing her the paper with their names.

"Of course." She took a map of the area from a pile on the counter and opened it. She pointed at a spot that had the number '6' written on it. "This is the Pokemon Center." she said. "Professor Kukui's laboratory is there," she pointed at a point, number 10, situated on a beach. "But you can also find him teaching at the Pokemon School." she pointed at another mark, number 8. "If you can't find him at either place…"

"I'll look there first," I said, circling the places she had showed me. "It should be quick, with my bike."

"About it… Today is market day." Nurse Joy said. "The streets leading to the beach are closed to all vehicles."

"Aaaww…. Really?"

"Yes, really. But don't worry, it's not too far away, only a twenty minutes walk." she said, giving me a reassuring smile. "However, you may want to leave your jacket behind."

Again that advice. "Thank you Nurse Joy," I said curtly, leaving the Pokemon Center behind without looking back.

Twenty minutes later, I was in Hau'oli City, just as Nurse Joy had said. And I was getting hot under my jacket, be it thin or not. Yet my pride forbade me to remove it, even if people did glance at me and I could feel their stares on me as I passed by.

People, natives and tourists alike, wandered around to different stands that lined the streets. Exotic berries, souvenirs and other various items were on display in many different stands. People called out for others' attention in hopes of selling their products. Gaia and Marie glanced at some of them. Gaia squealed out when she spotted a berry stand. I winced at the high-pitched screech.

"Gaia! Dude! Really?!" I said, raising a brow, my ear still ringing.

"Snivy!" the Pokemon answered, looking down and sorry.

"I know there's a berry stand, but you don't have to react like this." I explained to her. "Now, it's true they _do_ look tasty." I admitted, giving the berries a closer look. Those we had in Unova didn't look anywhere as good as those.

"Snivy?"

"Yeah yeah. I guess we could try some of the local specialties..." I said with a smirk. After all, it was past lunch time and if they did serve a frugal meal aboard the airplane, it was hardly sufficient to me, and neither Gaia nor Marie had had anything to eat. Gaia punched her chest in pride as Marie croaked out happily. The older woman behind the stand greeted me with a smile.

"Hello dear!"

"Hi." I murmured back. Everyone looked so friendly here. The woman chuckled. "Looks like you're a newcomer. Your Pokemon are quite the exotic ones. And cute too!" She laughed.

I nodded with a slight smile. "Yes. Thank you. But don't tell them too often, it'd get to their head."

"So, which berries would you like?" She asked, gesturing to her stall. At that instant, Gaia and Marie took the reins. Gaia extended her wine and grabbed six berries: three Pinap, one Oran, One Rawst and one Pecha. Those she and Marie loved best.

"That's too much." I told them. "We're going to eat later. I'll just have one Pinap, one Oran and one Pecha berry." I told the woman. Gaia glared at me, but I remained unphased. "You can frown all you want, I will not change my mind." I quietly said to my grass Pokemon, as I paid the woman, who received the money with a gentle smile.

"Here is your change." she said, handing me back some coins.

"Oh? It's less expansive than I thought." I said to myself, though it must have been loud enough for the seller to hear.

"They're grown here, just over that hill," she said, pointing somewhere behind her. "They don't have a long way to go before reaching my stand."

"It makes sense. Thank you ma'am," I said, leaving the stall as the owner waved me good bye. ".Alright you two," I went on, handing Gaia the Pinap berry she sulkingly took with her vines, and Marie the Pecha berry she swallowed whole. "It's a surprise you're not chocking on it..." I mumbled, taking a bite of the Oran berry. It was much juicier than those I have eaten back home. And much more spicy. I loved it. "So, now, where to…"

Turning around to the direction where I could find Professor Kukui's laboratory, I found myself facing a green haired girl held into two ponytails, a pink flower in her hair, wearing light blue overalls curiously staring at Gaia.

"Seems like someone has already taken a shine to you, Gaia. This is sure your day, huh?" I said to my Pokemon who looked rather pleased as she stuck out her chest with a squeal of agreement. "Hm… Hello?" I said to the girl, running my hand through my hair. She was around my age. Or at least, as tall as I was if not as old.

"Hey! Sorry to bother you, but that's a Snivy, right?! I've never seen one before!" The green, pig tailed girl exclaimed.

"Tym-Pole~!" Marie croaked out angrily, not liking to be ignored. I rubbed her head to soothe her. I nodded at the girl. "Yeah. She is."

"She's so cute!" she peeped. "Do you think she'd let me pet her?"

"I don't know…" I was starting to feel ill at ease with the girl's so familiar behavior. And so was Marie who croaked louder.

"And that… It's a … Tympole, right?" she said, looking at me for approval. I just nodded. "So, you're from Unova?"

"Yeah, I am." I grunted. Of course, wandering around with two foreign Pokemon was bound to catch people's attention. And this conversation with a total stranger was starting to bother me. I had somewhere to go and I couldn't afford to lose time.

"As I thought!" She exclaimed. I huffed out an annoyed breath that I managed to hide.

"Yeah. And?" I grunted with a knitted eyebrows.

"Would you want to go to my family's restaurant for dinner? We serve the best specialties from Alola." She asked.

My eyes widened. "Your family owns a restaurant?" This would explain why she was being so familiar, it was business for her.

"That's what I said!" She replied with a smile. "Would you like to go there? We have the best Malasada you'll ever find in the archipelago." She assured me, handing me a card with the name of the restaurant. "Aina's Kitchen".

"Um… I will think about it." I said, taking the card. I hadn't come here to start touristing around. I had a goal.

"Don't worry. We're open all day until ten at night." she told me. "You can come by whenever you want, you'll always find someone to serve you. And only the best!"

"I have no doubt." I said flatly, placing the card into my shorts pocket. "Well I am sorry, but I have to go. It was a pleasure meeting you and I guess I have to thank you for the card, miss." I went on, purposedly using 'miss' as I usually did when I wanted to be sarcastic.

Yet my sarcasm was completely missed by the girl who just smiled more. "The pleasure was mine," she giggled. "I am looking forwards to seeing you there! You will love it!" She then winked. "Oh, and one more thing: none me 'miss' here." She hummed sweetly. "Call me Mallow."


	3. Fast Actions

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**Fast actions**

"Alright you two, we're here." I murmurred to myself and my Pokemon as we made our way to the beach. As expected, it was crowded with people enjoying their vacation time, playing in the seawater, beach volley or just resting on their towel, letting the sun do its work on their skin. Some were having friendly Pokemon battles however I didn't remain to check if a Tirtouga was going to win against a Lillipup. I had the local professor to see and neither the sun, nor the long stares I was getting from people, were of any comfort to me.

Good thing that the laboratory wasn't easy to miss and I hurried there, almost tripping once or twice and twisting my ankle due to my boot sinking in the soft and white sand. I tried not to think of the people snickering or the few comments I could hear, or when some – mostly young men – catcalled me. When they weren't just saying I wasn't wearing the proper sort of clothes to be here. And those were the less rude comments.

A soft beaten path led to the professor's house away from the beach, to my relief. Small patches of grass and tree grew around it. There was a small white fence, whose door was already open allowing me to enter. The house itself wasn't different than any other Alolan building I had seen. On stilts, for a reason or another as I doubted tide would come so far up, made of wood mostly, with blue tiles on the roof. I took the short flight of stairs that was leading to the front door and was about to knock when I heard a strange noise coming from inside.

I looked curiously at Gaia who looked back at me with the same expression on her face. She had heard the noise as well. Intrigued, I put my ear against the door. Yes, I had been correct, there was a fight going on.

"Gaïa, there is someone harrassing the professor," I told my Snivy. I looked down to Marie. "Get ready!" I commanded both of them. There have been some issues a few years ago in Unova, a bad group of people bothering Professor Juniper as well as other trainers or Pokemon owners. I certainly didn't want it to happen here as well. I took a few steps back to have enough momentum then rushed towards the door and opened it with a well placed kick.

"Professor!" I yelled as the door banged against the wall, but I didn't pay attention to it. I focused my attention towards the moving forms I could see at the other side of the living room that was a mess with furniture turned over. Neither Kukui nor his opponent were moving. My sudden and loud intrusion had surprised them! Good, I was going to use it to my advantage! "Professor, move aside! Gaia, Magical Leaf! Marie, use Water Pulse!"

"No, wait!"

But it was too late. As soon as I had given them the order, my two Pokemon had launched their attack towards the Professor and his attacker, leaving them both drenched and covered in leaves. I rushed to the professor who was coughing and struggling to get up.

"I am sorry I had to attack you as well," I said, helping him. I couldn't help but notice that he didn't look like the usual professor. Sure he did have the expected white coat, but over his bare torso. And instead of formal pants, he was wearing green and grey Bermuda shorts. Professor Juniper wore casual clothes, but this was taking 'casual' to the next level. "I had to act fast. Are you alright?" I asked him. During my inspection, I didn't see any injury, but it didn't hurt to ask.

"I am… fine," he answered eventually between two coughing fits. "What about…?" I saw his eyes travel from me to the place he had previously been and he pushed me away.

"Hey, what…" But I soon noticed as he knelt besides a knocked out four legged pokemon. "Oh my… Is it your Pokemon?" I asked him gently. "What happened to him? Had he been injured in the battle against the intruder?" Then it clicked. "The intruder!" I looked around. Had they taken the opportunity to leave when I was helping the professor? I turned to Gaia and Marie who shook their head.

"I guess his taking a grass and a water type moves was enough to make him faint!" Professor Kukui said at last, getting up, his Pokemon in his arms and facing me.

"Wh… What do you mean…? I… I was trying to help… I heard battle noise from outside. I thought you were being attacked." I explained, speaking fast. Way to go… My first encounter with Professor Kukui and I attacked his Pokemon.

"I wasn't," he replied, gently placing the small canine on a machine, the same kind there were in Pokemon Center and switched it on. "I am Professor Kukui. My field of researches is Pokemon moves. I believe that experiencing moves on yourself if the best way to get to know what it can do." he introduced himself turning away from the machine to stare at me. "But who are you?"

"I am Jade… I come from Unova. And Professor Juniper told me to see you so you could update my Pokedex!" I said, showing him the red device as well as the paper Prof Juniper had given me, all the while thinking there were no way he'd help me with it now.

"I see… Well, I can't do that right now." he said. As I expected.

"I understand…" I mumbled. I could feel tears rushing to my eyes, but I wasn't going to let him show that I was upset. I was about to call Marie and Gaïa so we could take our leave, when…

"Aren't you going to give me a hand?" he asked from behind me.

"What?"

The professor was now next to the upside down couch. "I can't work on updating your Pokedex when the room is in such a state." he said. "So help me and the sooner it's done, the sooner I can see what I can do. Besides, you owe me that for attacking me and Rockruff."

"Sure… Sorry," I said quickly moving to take the opposite side of the piece of furniture. It took about one hour or two to clean everything up – especially getting rid of the leaves and dry up the soaken furniture and floor – but eventually the room looked like any other normal living room. And that time had been enough for Professor Kukui's Rockruff to recover.

"So this is a Rockruff. What a sweet little guy." I exclaimed petting him on the head to his delight, and to Gaia's jealousy. "I am so sorry I attacked you," I apologized to the Pokemon who answered with a bark.

"He doesn't hold any grudge," the Professor translated, kneeling next to Rockruff and strocking him on the back.

"Like trainer, like Pokemon," I commented lightly.

"But Rockruff isn't my Pokemon." The professor corrected with a smile. "I don't know who he belongs to, or if he even belongs to anyone. He just appeared at my door someday. As he was hurt, I nurtured him and from then on, refused to leave even though he had multiple occasions to."

"Yet… You give him command and he obeys you, doesn't he?" I asked, confused. "Pokemon only answered to their trainer's order, don't they?"

"Not quite." He corrected me again. "Pokemon can obey anyone's order as long as their trust this person or work towards a common goal. Which is the case with Rockruff and me. He has agreed to help me learn more about Rock type moves." he went on with a wink. "However you do get better result with a trainer and a Pokemon who have been together for a long time as they have had time to know each other." he added.

"It makes sense… And that was what you were doing when I interrupted you…"

"Correct." The professor agreed. "However unexpected your attacks were, I suppose I could still use the datas." he said, mostly to himself as he went to his computer and brought up several windows on the screen that showed several lines of numbers, charts and graphs.. "

"Speaking of datas… " I started after a few minutes of silence, trying to get him back on the matter of my pokedex.

"Oh, right. Sorry… I can get quite sidetracked at time. May I see your Pokedex?"

I handed him my device that he took and looked under every angle. He even turned it on, caught a glance at my trainer's card that had been recorded, and switched it off.

"It's very old. Almost obsolete technology…"

"I got it six years ago!" I said, irritated though I tried to not show it. It wasn't my fault if my father had refused to let me to go on a journey when I should have and I had to keep an old version of the Pokedex.

"I can see that." he had turned the device around and was now working on removing the back cover to get to the memory card. He shook his head when he saw it. "I can't work with this."

"What… What do you mean?"

"Do you know Rotom?" he asked, out of the blue.

"Of course I do. It's a Pokemon that was first seen in Sinnoh. It can take control of everyday's appliances, like oven, washing machine, refrigerator, an electric fan and a lawnmower. This way, it can have other type in exchange for the ghost typing. Like Heat Rotom, when Rotom possesses an oven, and gains the Fire type. There have been attempt to try and have Rotom take control of other machines, but so far nothing had worked but those five."

"Impressive! You do know your stuff." Professor Kukui exclaimed, making me feel proud of myself. All those years in school had indeed left their imprint on me. "Yet, it's not entirely true. There were other attempts that were successful, though not well known but to a few yet."

"There were!?" I cried out.

"Yes," he replied with a laugh. "But it's quite new. I tried it on a Pokedex and it worked."

"Really? What sort of Pokemon is it? It is good in battle? What sort of moves does it know? And if it's in a Pokedex, then it means it knows the opponent's moves. That's quite an asset in battle."

"Afraid not." the professor said, dampening my excitement. "The Rotom-Dex can't battle, it's not its purpose. It's meant to help trainers gathering datas on Pokemon as well as giving them informations about the Pokemon they encounter."

"Like a normal Pokedex then." I said, shrugging. "Why is the use of placing a Rotom into it then?"

"Actually… I didn't really do it on purpose." he confessed. "It just happened. And worked. However no matter how much I'd like to, I can't try to do it with your Pokedex as it is now." he went on, taking my device. "Doing so would just result in me burning it out."

"Oh… And can you just update it so I can have the datas on Alolan Pokemon?" After all, that was just the reason I had come here in the first place.

"That can be done. It'll take some time though."

"Do you know how long?"

"A few hours… The datas include a map of the entire archipelago and the Pokemon you can find on each island, among other things. It should be ready by tomorrow. It'll give you time to visit the area."

"I suppose." I just replied, putting on my boots that I had removed when we were cleaning the place up.

"And I suppose you heard it a lot already, but you should change your apparel. You stand out quite a bit in these dark clothes. And it's not really healthy as you can get hot real fast here."

"You're right, I heard it a lot." I bitterly replied. "And what if I want to stand out?"

"That's up to you, of course. And you certainly will catch people's attention dressed like this," the professor said with a smile. "Just make sure you stay hydrated. I'd not want you do faint because of a sunstroke or dehydration."

"… Thank you for your concern, I'll keep your advice in mind…" I replied as politely as I could. I was well aware that my clothing could be an issue, but I was old enough to deal with it and take care of myself.

"I know someone who could show you the best clothes stores of the Hau'Oli city, if you would like."

"Eh, thank you." I answered quickly. I really didn't want to go on a shopping spree. And especially not for clothes as I highly doubted they'd have the sort of stuff I liked here. I thought it was best to change the topic. "Tell me, professor, do you know of a place named 'Aina's Kitchen'?


	4. Meeting the gang

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

4 – Meeting the gang

I pushed the door of the building that showed 'Aina's kitchen' sign on the roof with a delicate pink flower painted on one side of the name and elegant leaves on the other. The building itself, which looked like a one-floor house, was painted in bright yellow with a dark brown door surrounded by two wide windows.

Inside, I was welcomed by the air conditionner, a nice change with the warm dampness outside, as well as a short line of customers going up to the counter. It was understable, I thought as I checked my watch, it was hardly 4 pm here, even though, for me, it felt it was close to 8 in the evening. Thank you jet lag. Waiting for my turn as patiently as I could, I nervously fiddled with the green jewel on my neck-choker, all the while holding Marie in my arm. Gaïa was standing on my shoulder, as usual.

Looking around, I could see that the walls were made of polished brown wood, just like the floor. It was most likely the same kind of wood as what had been used for the door. Rectangular tables were cloaked with white tablecloths. Napkin dispensers, salt, pepper and silver ustensils were neatly arranged in a straight manner on the tables. Behind the counter, I could see cooks preparing the orders of the few customers sitting at the tables, or baking away, with receipts of customers' orders on a hanger.

"Heey! You came!" The girl at the counter said, waving when she saw me. It was the same girl who had talked to me when I was on the market place. She looked extatic.

"Yeah… I thought I could give a try at those malasadas…" I huffed out.

"That's so great! I talked about your Pokemon to my friends! They hardly could believe I saw someone with a Snivy."

"Well… I am flattered, I guess… Mallow." I said, suddenly recalling her name. How could I tell her that we had just met and that I wasn't that comfortable with her natural friendly behavior towards me? "I just…"

"Came to buy malasadas." Mallow finished for me, even though it wasn't what I planned to tell. I wanted to tell her I was quite unsettled by her accepting me so quickly and easily. "Any sort you'd like?"

"What sorts are there?" I asked her, reminding Mallow I was new in Alola.

"Come, I'll show you," she said with a smile, taking me away from the line. Behind her I could see a bulky man with green hair working on dough, his back turned to me. "My father," Mallow said. "He's preparing some Malasadas just now. The filling is what made it special. There are different tastes, just like for berries. Sweet, sour, spicy, dry and bitter. Here, have one for free."

"That's nice, but I don't take charity…"

"It's not! You've just arrived. Take it. It's a welcome gift if you will. So you know how good malasadas are!"

I could feel Gaia and Marie beeing quite interested in the gift the green haired girl was handing me. I couldn't refuse it and managed to get my hand to take it.

"Thank you." I muttered.

"You're more than welcome. Don't forget to tell me how you liked it." she said happily before going back to the main counter to help the other girl serving the customers.

The Malasada in hand, I make my way to an empty two chaired table where I carefully placed Marie. Gaïa jumped down my shoulder and landed after a small somersault.

"Quite the proud girl, aren't you?"

"Sni-VY!" she exlaimed, puffing her chest.

"I know, just like your trainer." I said with a smile, cutting the pastry in three parts. I gave two of these to my Pokemon who gladly took them. Marie, as usual, swallowed her portion in one gulp while Gaïa was taking her time. I had to admit it tasted great.

"Would you like another one?" I asked Gaïa and Marie. My Snivy was still finishing her part but Marie bounced in my arms. "Alright, little girl. Gaïa, you stay here, it won't be long."

The line had dwindled down to only one customer who was receiving her order as I came up to the counter.

"So, how was it?" Mallow asked me as soon as she saw me.

"It was good," I answered. "Gaïa and Marie loved it quite a bit, didn't you?" I asked Marie who answered with a delighted croak.

"Alola Mallow!" a voice from behind me spoke up. A blue haired girl with a golden fence shaped headband had entered the restaurant and was getting to the counter. She was smaller and looked younger than Mallow and me. A bit shy too.

"Alola Lana!" Mallow answered, making a strange gesture with her hand, like a rainbow. "Ooooh, here is the girl I was talking to you about. The one with the Snivy..."

"And the Tympole!" she completed, making a beeline to me. Or rather, to Marie. This 'Lana' was small enough so her eyes were level with Marie's. "It's the first time I see one in person! Can I pet it?" she exclaimed with sparkling eyes. So much for being shy, I thought dryly. And she didn't even wait for my answer as Marie rubbed the top of her head on the girl's hand, emitting croaks of happiness. The girl giggled out and soon rubbed Marie's vibrating stubs.

I couldn't help but smile at this. "Well, Marie sure has taken a shine to you." I commented. Lana smiled as she looked up at me.

"Ooh, it's a girl! And you named her Marie? That's cute. I like it!"

"Thank you…" I mumbled. Good thing she didn't ask where the name came from.

"Hello Marie. I am Lana!" the blue haired girl introduced herself to my blue and black Pokemon. "You'll love it here in Alola. There is water everywhere."

"Lana, do you know if the others are coming?" Mallow asked, interrupting her friend's description of the archipelago. I starred at Mallow. 'Others'? What others was she talking about?

"Sophocles and Kiawe should arrive shortly," Lana said absent-mindedly, her attention still on Marie that she was still petting, to Marie's pleasure. "Ash and Lillie will take longer, Mr Oak wanted to talk to them after class."

Sophocles, Kiawe, Lillie, Ash…? But hardly had I started to think that perhaps I should take my Malasada, Gaïa and my leave before the place became too crowded to my comfort that the door opened on two people that looked nothing alike.

Actually, they couldn't have been more different. One was a white skinned, ginger haired, short overweight boy in a white shirt, wearing brown pants and a Pikachu-tail like scarf. He didn't look to be the sort to go out for a tanning session at the beach.

The other one, on the other hand, was tall. Taller than me and seeming even taller due to his haircut. I couldn't help but wondering how much gel did he need to get his hair to stand straight up like this. He, contrary to his friend, was shirtless, shamelessly displaying his abs and chocolate tanned skin. His only clothes were orange spiked up pants and sandals. I couldn't help but bite my lips at the sight and look away.

To my relief, Gaïa chose this exact moment to arrive, having finished her treat. She used her vines to climb back on my shoulder. Of course, Mallow squealed when she saw my grass type starter.

"What is it about?" the short guy asked.

"That's a good question…" the tanned one replied.

"There are foreign Pokemon in Mallow's restaurant!" Lana explained, pointing at my Tympole. "They are from Unova, right?" she asked me. I answered with a nod as I felt blood rushing to my cheeks. I felt so embarassed to be the center of attention of people I had just met.

"I knew it!" she proudly exclaimed.

"That's so cool!" the taller guy said, going next to Lana, which made him look even taller. "I wish I could travel to other regions too."

"Don't worry, eventually you'll be able to." Mallow said with confidence. "Kiawe works at his family's farm. He makes delivery between islands with his Charizard," she explained to me "That's why he can't just go wherever he pleases."

Was her comment meant for me? I thought. Why would she tell me such private information?

"Having a Charizard is sweet though… And I didn't expect you to have a Pokemon from Kanto…"

"It's not mine," Kiawe said with a shrug. "He belonged to my grand-father who let me use him so I could go to school."

"I wish I could ride a Charizard to go to school!" the short boy said.

"Wouldn't that be ridiculous? You live on Mele Mele Island and the school is close to your home." Mallow countered with a laugh.

I was feeling out of their circle and took it as my cue to leave. Yet, once again, I couldn't as, just as I reached the door, it opened on two new people. A girl with hair so light that it looked white. Actually, everything about her was white, from her milky white skin, her dress, her floppy hat and her shoes. Down to her Vulpix that was white too. The boy that was with her, on the other hand, had raven hair under his red and white cap and mostly blue clothes. He also had a Pikachu standing on his shoulder, just like Gaïa was standing on mine.

"Huh… Hey! That's a Snivy! And a Tympole!" the boy cried out. "Are they those you were talking about Mallow?"

"Yes," Mallow agreed. "Aren't they cute?"

"They sure are." the boy said. "I never had a Tympole, but I caught a Palpitoad!" he said with pride. "I never had a Snivy either, but I fought against one when I arrived in Unova. Do you remember Pikachu?" The yellow Pokemon answered with a low 'Pika'.

"So, you went to Unova?" I asked, surprised. The boy was clearly younger than I and, if I had to judge by his accent, he wasn't from Unova. It meant he came from elsewhere and he had already gone to another region _aside from_ Alola. I certainly was going to tell that to dad.

"Yes, a few years ago. I even participated in the league!"

"I don't think you won though. I'd know if you had." I said. I had watched every league tournaments and I didn't remember him getting on the podium.

"Eeeeh… Right, you got me here." he said. "Name's Ash." he introduced himseld, holding out his hand that I eventually shook.

"Jade."

"Pleased to meet you."

"Likewise." I said politely, even though I wasn't sure I really was pleased to meet him. I have met too many people in one day. However, it was to be expected in a new environment. "And you are…?" I asked, turning to the quiet blond haired girl.

"Oh, I am Lillie. And this is Snowy." she said, showing her Vulpix.

"That's a cute name." I said, even though I knew I'd have come with something more… exotic than bland 'Snowy' for a snow white Pokemon. "Here are Gaïa and Marie." I pointed at each of my Pokemon respectively.

"Gaïa?" Ash asked, raising a brow.

"It's an ancient name for 'Mother Earth'. Here, it's called 'Papahanaumoku' or 'Papa' for short. But I think I read somewhere that in other island regions, it's called 'Te Fiti'. It's a primordial force of creation who has the power to give life and heal." the overweight boy statted.

"My, you're quite the geek…" I exclaimed with a laugh. "Not a lot of people know that."

"But I do." he replied, puffing his chest out of pride. "And my name is Sophocles."

"That's quite cool!" Ash said. "What do you say Pikachu. Would you like to battle against 'Mother Earth'?" he asked his Pokemon.

"I see you haven't… Wait, a battle?" I blurted, taken by surprise. The others were surprised too. Kiawe crossed his arms over his chest.

"Ash, don't you think you're going a bit too fast?" he asked in a stern tone. "You literally just met her and you're asking for a battle right away."

"It's never too soon for a good Pokemon battle!" Ash replied with glee. "And I am sure our battle will be fantastic. What do you say, Jade?" he asked, turning to me.

"I say that I will be a fantastic opponent. And you better be up for the challenge." I retorted with a smile as big as Ash's.

"Don't worry about this, you'll get your money's worth!" he promised in a loud voice.

"Ash… We are in a restaurant. Tone it down…" Lillie whispered through clenched teeth.

"It's fine Lillie. It's Mallow's restaurant. And we're not going to battle_ right here_!"

"I'd certainly hope not!" a deep voice answered Ash's comment. It was the man who had been preparing Malasadas earlier. Now I saw him, I could see the connection. His hair was a darker shade of green, but the smile and pleased face that could be seen in spite of his worried expression had been passed down to his daughter. "This is no place for a battle!"

"Sure… Sorry sir…" Ash said nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "So, Jade, are you up for it?"

"I don't see why not." I replied happily. I checked my watch though. It wasn't that late and the idea of a battle had pumped energy back into my tired body. "Let's go to the nearest battle area." I said with confidence. "I have a battle to win!"


	5. Ash's Trump Card

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**Ash's Trump Card**

"Where are you taking us?" Sophocles asked Ash in an annoyed tone while we were treking towards the beach. "There was a battlefield near the restaurant!" I'd have liked to know it as well. I didn't react just then as Mallow and Lana had been asking about the different species of Pokemon in Unova. I didn't have much to tell in term of experience, but I could give her some theorical knowledge. They also told me about their lives in Alola and how it should be different than living on a continent.

"It's fine," I merely answered. "Weather is different and it's not sunny all year round and the landscape is nothing like this, but we get used to it."

"Hopefully I'll be able to travel there one day," Kiawe said with confidence, shifting the attention and topic away from me, to my delight. I absent-mindedly listened to their conversation, looking around. At first, I didn't recognise the place we were going to, but as soon as I saw the wooden house near the ocean's salty water, I recognised it. The aroma of the ocean wafted into my nose when a gentle breeze kicked up for a couple of seconds, making my midnight black hair flutter a bit with the wind passing through it.

"Well, I wanted Professor Kukui to see this!" the raven haired boy answered with a laugh. "I am sure he has never seen a Snivy and a Tympole for real before." he explained, an eager smile on his lips.

"You might be surprised," I answered with a shrug and a well hidden smirk. We headed down a grassy hill leading to the beach. I saw with relief that most tourists that had been here earlier were now gone. Pikachu leaped off Ash's shoulder and bolted to the closed door of the house. I thought it was going to scratch or call for the professor to arrive, but Pikachu went through the door by a small Pokemon entry way that I hadn't noticed earlier.

A few minutes later, the door opened, letting Professor Kukui out. He was still wearing his lab coat over his bare chest, though now he had a snazzy pair of shades over his eyes. And Pikachu in his arms as he went to us, Rockruff on his heels.

"What is this about Ash?" he asked. Then noticed I was here too. "Jade? I told you your Pokedex wasn't going to be ready before tomorrow, didn't I?"

"You did." I nodded. "It's just that Ash insisted we came here." I added, pointing my thumb at the boy who was looking back at me and the professor, a look of surprise on his face.

"Wait! You met already?"

"Well, yes. Jade came earlier asking me to update her Pokedex." He explained. Happily he didn't go any further about _how_ we met and what had happened. I was still looking down at Rockruff who was asking for some petting, and getting lots of them from me and Lana. The other members of the group were making fun of Ash for thinking the professor had never seen a Tympole and a Snivy.

"So, Jade," the professor said, taking my attention away from the rock Pokemon. He was facing me, his hands on his hips. "I have to say, I am eager to see how you fare against Ash."

"Trust me, I'll fare well. Ash on the other hand…" I didn't finish my sentence but grinned at Ash. Who grinned back.

"Says who?"

"Says me!"

"Alright then," the professor interrupted our verbal sparring. "Jade, who are you going to use?"

"I don't want too easy a victory," I statted and handed Lana my little Marie. The blue haired girl hadn't expected that, but she giggled and had glimmering eyes as she took my Tympole. "Gaïa, are you ready my girl?" As an answer, my Snivy slided off my arms and flipped onto the warm and gritty sand. "I chose her." I said to the professor.

He nodded and backed up. "If you are ready, we'll start the battle. Don't let your guard down and good luck, both of you."

Ash rushed to the beach, roughly at the correct distance of a regular battlefield. I didn't went to my place right away though. I knelt down to take off my boots. Earlier, I had almost twisted my ankle, I didn't want it to happen during a Pokemon battle, so it was barefooted that I went to 'my' side of the 'battlefield'.

Gaia pounded her little hands together when I arrived behind her and waved Pikachu to her as a taunt. In answer, Ash's Pikachu fell onto all four. From my position, I could see sparkles on his red cheeks.

"Attention! The battle between Jade of Unova and Ash of Kanto is about to begin." Professor Kukui announced firmly, raising his right hand into the air. "This battle will be over when one of the Pokemon is unable to continue." He paused, watching me then Ash. "Now… Battle… begins!" He said, lowering his hand in a swift movement.

"Pikachu! Quick Attack!" Ash shouted off almost instantly. Pikachu leaped off his tiny feet and zig-zaged his way towards Gaia. That Quick Attack was much father than I had anticipated.

"Tackle!" I commanded Gaïa. For a slip second, the two Pokemon rammed into each other until they skidded back to their respective trainer.

"Iron Tail!"

"Dodge it!" I shouted out when Pikachu jumped into the hair, his tail gleaming in a silvery light. Thanks to her species' natural speed as well as the diligent training we had had with dad, Gaïa was fast enough to run under Pikachu.

"Vine Whip!" I hollered out. With a smirk, Gaia whacked Pikachu with her thick vines right on his cheek. Pikachu emitted a loud cry as he tumbled across the sand. Yet it didn't seem to have the effect I had hoped it would as he quickly regained his composure. The yellow Pokemon shook some sand off his fur and, following Ash's order, fired off a Thunderbolt.

"Magical Leaf!" I called. The two moves collided. A cloud of white smoke engulfed the area of impact point until, suddenly, Thunderbolt ripped through, lighting Gaïa up in electricity. She tumbled across the sand with such acceleration that she ended up almost in the water. My head snapped to Gaia.

"What in the…!?" I whispered under my breath. "...That was strong. And it shouldn't have been so effective either..." I added in disbelief. Gaia stood to her feet, eyeing me with determination but her attention was really on Pikachu. I nodded with a growing smirk before looking at my opponent. We could use this to our advantage.

"Hey Ash! Nice shot! You're stronger than I thought!" I exclaimed. "But it won't get a win for you!" I went on. I thrust my palm out. "Tackle!"

"Dodge it Pikachu!" Ash commanded. His Pokemon leapt into the air to dodge Gaïa's move. My smirk turned into a toothy grin.

"As I thought! Gaia, Aqua Tail into the ocean and FULL ON TACKLE!" I boomed, cocking my arm back with a clenched fist. Gaia skidded to a stop right next to the water. She blasted out a thick, ocean blue cyclone of water to propel herself up then rammed into Pikachu's chest.

He hadn't been expecting this and shouted out with a high-pitched cry when he plummeted hard into the sand, sending grains of sand fly in every direction from the impact. Gaïa landed on her feet and, just like me, waited for the sand to settle down. When it did, it revealed Pikachu standing in a wobbly manner. After a moment of silence, Ash and I both simultaneously thrusted out an open palm with a command to our Pokemon.

"Electro Ball!"

"Magical Leaf!"

The two moves rocketted into each other. Unlike the Thunderbolt, Electro Ball and Magical Leaf nullified each other into a cloud of black smoke. The beach's suspenseful aura intensified. There were nothing else here but me and Ash and our Pokemon. The other people who were watching, be it Ash's friends, the professor, or the few people that had been here for a nice moment at the beach but had stayed for the battle, were forgotten.

However the aura died down when Pikachu tore through the black smoke, slamming a quickly commanded Iron Tail onto Gaïa. She shrieked out in pain and tumbled towards me. Yet she quickly regained her composure, and flipped onto her feet to buckle from the amount of damage she had taken. Taking this as his cue, Ash then shifted his two shoes in the sand in a way that made his body more secured to the ground.

"Alright Pikachu! Time for our Z-Move!" He boomed out, crossing his arms in an "X" formation. _What is he talking about?_ I thought as I watched him, wondering what he was doing. It wasn't some Pokemon beauty contest. A bright flash of light pulsed from his wrist, surprising me and Gaïa. Instinctively, we both took a step back in nervousness. Ash did some sort of pose that flashed an electric symbol.

"Pikachu! Full power NOW! Use Gigavolt Havoc!" He bellowed out in a determined voice. Pikachu somehow managed to make a massive ball of electricity that was crackling violently, almost blinding me. I didn't know what it was, but I certainly wasn't going to let it take my Pokemon down.

"Gaïa," I said, "Plant your vines into the sand!" I screamed out, an unintentional crack of fear coming along with it. Even though she should be feeling as I was, Gaïa obeyed me and dove her vines into the sand just as Pikachu was firing the huge ball of crackling yellow lightning.

She emitted a barely audible shriek when it engulfed her, an explosion following the collision. I shielded my eyes and it was all I could do not to be blown away by the chockwave. Sand rocketted into the sky and in every direction. I dared opening them after several seconds to see that Gaïa had fainted.

"Snivy is unable to battle." the professor announced. "Ash from Kanto is the winner."

"Gaïa…" I blurted even before the professor had finished his announcement. I took her into my arms. Feeling the familiar touch, she moved faintly and opened her eyes, letting a little squeak out. I smiled at her. "That was somethin' else. You did great." I said to comfort her.

"Vy..." She grunted, moving slightly to a more comfortable position. Ash came up to me, his Pikachu resting on his shoulder. "That was some battle! You did take us off guard with your Aqua Tail and Tackle combo." he said.

"I suppose… But that was nothing compared with that… Whatever it was that you did last with Pikachu. What _was_ that?"

"That was a Z-Move!" Ash answered with a smile.

"Pika!" his Pokemon added with a huff. It'd seem that this 'Z-move' still had taken its toll on Pikachu.

"And what is a Z-move?" I asked, expecting to get a better answer. Professor Kukui smiled as he reached us, followed by Ash's friends. Lana wanted to hand me back Marie but I already had my hands full with Gaïa. The Tympole croaked nervously at her mate who nodded silently.

"She'll be fine, don't worry Marie," I said, to reassure my water Pokemon as well as I.

"A Z-Move is, basically, a move that comes from a connected aura between a Pokemon and its trainer." the professor explained. "It's an excellent trump card in battle as it can take out a difficult opponent. However you have to know when to use it as you can only use one Z-move."

"That sounds awesome!" I blurted out. "How can I do it? Is there some training I need to do, or someone who can teach it to Gaïa?" I had so many questions.

"Calm down Jade," the professor said with a smile. "Ash, come here." Looking dumbfounded, the boy went next to the grown up man.

"Yes, professor?"

The professor took Ash's right arm and showed it to me. "See this? It's a Z-ring and a Z-Crystal. You need both to be able to make a Z-move."

"A…? Is it like the Mega Stone?" I asked, remembering a class we had had about the Mega evolution of the Sinnoh region.

"The what?" Kiawe exclaimed before the Professor could say anything. But I didn't answer his question.

"Where do I get this… Z-ring and this Z-Crystal?" I asked instead. The Professor just smiled.

"Oh Jade, we have _so much_ to talk about."


	6. Clouded Judgment

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**Clouded Judgement**

I parked Ferocity in front of the Pokemon school. I sighed when I went off my bike, starring at the big building. It looked nothing like the school I went to back in Unova. Located near the ocean, a salty breeze was gently flowing past me and into my hair, the school's compounds were really big. However I'd have expected to be more green area. There was indeed a massive tree behind the school buildings – building that had a weird look to me. There were like three huge two-floor huts with straw roofs linked to one another by stairs and footbridges. All it all, it gave it an elegant and airy appearance.

The area around it was reddish beaten earth, with a few other buildings I didn't know the use of and a fenced race track. There was grass there, as well as bush and a few palm trees, but that was about it. In the distance, I could see a small river gently and happily running.

I rang the bell at the door and waited. There were no sounds except for the few Pokemon, the river and the wind blowing into the branches. None seemed to be there yet. It wasn't that surprising, it still was quite early and the jet-lag had my body still believe I was in Unova. I leaned against the wall and waited, suffering in silence under the warm sun that was growing warmer with each passing minutes. Eventually, I caught sight of Ash and Professor Kukui. Pikachu was on his trainer's shoulder as I expected.

"Alola Jade!" They both said with that same 'rainbow' move.

"Are you ready to meet Kahuna Hala?" Ash went on in a excited tone, not letting me answer to their greeting.

"I suppose so. Are you ready to go?" I asked back.

We had spoken yesterday about the rings and the Z-moves such as what Ash had done with Pikachu against Gaïa. We had agreed that I would go see 'Kahuna Hala' with Ash the next day. As I liked to be prepared, I had made some researches on my own when I had gone back to the Pokemon Center. There weren't a lot of informations on these. I mostly found websites selling fake Z-rings and ornemental Z-Crystals to tourists or people from other regions. There were also jewelries that were supposedly made out of these Z-Crystal, but I doubted they were genuine. I had wanted to ask Nurse Joy about it, unfortunately, she had been too busy to spare me some time. She only took Gaïa to heal during the night.

"You bet I am!" The raven haired boy answered. "It's not everyday I get to ride a bike! Actually, it'll be my first time!"

"Pikachu!" the yellow Pokemon added with glee.

"I am sure you'll enjoy it." I said, sitting on Ferocity. As soon as I was in place, Ash sat behind me. "I like to go fast, so hang on tight, both of you!" I warned them.

"Sure!" he said, placing his hands on my waist, freezing me in place. I really didn't like to be randomly touched and nervously pushed his hands away.

"There is a handle behind you!" I snapped. "Hang on to it."

"Oh alright… I am sorry."

"Jade, are you sure you know the way to Iki Town?" Professor Kukui asked, sounding a big worried.

"Don't worry Professor. I have it registered in my GPS. And in case, I checked the route yesterday." I assured him, hiding my irritation at his lack of faith in me.

"Besides, I am here to show her where to go!" Ash added with pride. To what the professor didn't answer.

"See you soon Professor." And with this, I revved the engine and we went on our way.

The ride itself didn't take long and we soon arrived, without getting lost or any incident. Ash laughed at Pikachu's ruffled fur from the ride as I left Ferocity in a parking lot near the police station – I informed the local Officer Jenny of it, of course – and Ash led me towards a hill that was spotted with healthy green trees, bushes and blooming flowers of various and vibrant colors. At the sight of them, I decided to let Gaïa out of her Pokeball, so she'd enjoy smelling them. I also let Marie out so she'd not get jealous, even though she stayed into my arms.

"So, Ash, how is this 'Kahuna Hala'?" I asked him with a curious tone in my voice. I had also made some researches about him, but there may some differences between what a tourism site said and reality.

"Kahuna Hala is awesome!" came Ash's elated answer. "I beat him in the Grand Trial. I had to face his Crabrawler and his Hariyama! It was a great battle. I thought I had lost against his Hariyama when he used his fighting Z-move. But I am not one to give up, and neither is Pikachu, right buddy?" Ash asked his partner who answered with a clear 'Pika!'. "So I took my chance and we used our Z-move and we defeated Hariyama! Kahuna Hala wanted to give me a Fightinium Z, but Tapu Koko didn't leave him and gave me an Electrium Z. That's how we can do Gigavolt Havoc again."

I had listened to Ash's tale of how went his Grand Trial distractedly, though it hadn't fallen on deaf ears that the Kahuna used fighting type Pokemon. It was a shame that neither Gaïa nor Marie had any strength against this type, yet I was sure I'd be able to manage during my Grand Trial. What caught my attention was Ash's mention of getting another Z-Crystal from a Tapu.

"What?" I exclaimed.

"Well, yes. he even threw a big party for me and my Pokemon! It was so great!" Ash said as we passed under a decorated wooden arch.

"No, not that. Tapu Koko gave you a Z Crystal? Does it regularly happen?"

"Oh..." Ash looked thoughtful. "I don't think so?" he answered at least. "Kahuna Hala said it was peculiar for him to take interest in a challenger, but you can ask him!" he said, pointing in the distance. While my eyes followed what he was showing, a large wooden square, I thought of this 'Kahuna Hala', that Ash obviously admired, throwing _me_ a party for my future victory. And Tapu Koko giving _me_ a Z Crystal with his blessing.

My fantasy was broken with the sight of a fat, darkly tanned – not as tanned as Kiawe though – man in an orange floral shirt. Kahuna Hala. He looked just like the pictures I had seen of him. He was shaking the hand of a distraught boy who had a fainted Cubone in his arms. They boy bowed to the man then quickly left, passing by us in a hurry to the nearest Pokemon Center. As Ash and I moved out of the trainer and his fainted Pokemon's way, I couldn't avert my eyes from the defeated trainer. A chill rippled through my spine until I heard a jolly laugh.

"Ash, Pikachu! Welcome back my friends!" The bulky man hollered from the square, gesturing for them to come to him. Ash seized my wrist and, with a huff, I ripped it out of his grasp. "Ash!" I hissed. "You know I don't like that!"

"Sorry!" he apologized in an ill-at-ease tone, rubbing the back of his black hair in ambarrassment, as I rubbed my wrist, exhaling a breath out of my nose. From up close, the Kahuna seemed to be even bigger, almost towering above us. He turned his head to Ash, arms crossed over his wide chest.

"So Ash, I presume this is a new friend of yours?"

"Yeah!" Ash nodded. "This is Jade. She just arrived from the Unova region!"

"You know, I could have introduced myself, Ashy boy." I said with a smirk. "I know myself better than anyone else!" This made the Kahuna laugh.

"Well, someone seems to have some quick-wittiness. "It's a pleasure to meet you Jade. I am…"

"Kahuna Hala!" I completed. "You're the one who handle Grand Trial and bestow Z Crystal to whoever you think is worthy of it." I said with pride, a grin growing on my lips. Hala laughed again.

"I see. How was it you said? 'I could have introduced myself. I know myself better than anyone else?'" He said, mimicking my own words. I could feel myself blushing and I looked away to hide my embarassement and shame. "Don't worry!" The Kahuna added with another booming laugh. "I didn't mean to upset you. I presume you have come here for the Island Challenge?" he asked me, his voice firm and serious.

"As a matter of fact, yes." I answered, starring back at him. "However it's not the only thing that I'd like to speak about."

"Let me guess. You'd like to know about Alola special moves."

My eyes widened. "You knew?" I exclaimed.

"Most trainers that are new to Alola come to me for information about this." Hala explained, placing his hand on the fake jadeites that are embedded in my leather jacket. He must have certainly felt I had suddenly gone tense as he quickly removed his hand off my shoulder.

"Sorry… I am not a person who likes to be touched." I clarified.

"My apologies for this." he told me before walking off with a quick wave for us to follow him. "Come with me to my hut. I have a few questions to ask before we go into details about the trial itself." Hala said, a pleased smile radiating strong on his face. Of course, Ash ran up to him, leaving me behind. I called for Gaïa who took her time to leave the exotic flower she had been busy smelling.

The house of the Kahuna is bigger than any other huts in Iki Town. This was to be expected as it was someone important. On the other hand it was made of the same dark colored wood and the same orangish yellow straws on the roof. The inside was cosy and I joined Ash on a blue couch that sat near the the center of the large living room. With a satisfied sigh, the Kahuna of Melemele Island sad down across Ash and me.

"So Jade," he immediately began. "I suppose the Professor already explained the basic of the Alolan phenomenon of Z-Power?"

"Yes. He told me about the Z-rings and the Z-Crystals." I said.

"That's good. Now I don't have to give any lengthy explanation." He laughed jolly with a bright smile. It was so catching that I had to smile too. And probably Ash as well. The huge man slouched back on his couch. "Tell me, what did he say?"

"He told me I could get a ring from you, as you are a Kahuna and judge the trainers that challenge you during the Grand Trial, like a Gym Leader gives their badge to a trainer who showed to be worthy of it." I could see Kahuna Hala nodding. At the end of my speech, he crossed his arms.

"I see. Before we go on the details of the Island Challenge, let me ask you this: What do you plan to do _if_ you get a Z-Ring from me and some Z-Crystals from any Totem Pokemon during your journey?"

"Hm… You mean '_when_' I get them, right?" I corrected him. "I am plenty capable of it. Professor Kukui saw me battling and I know I'll get them sooner or later." I informed him, my tone of voice inflected higher and in more serious tone. The Kahuna's smile slowly faded as he starred at me sternly. From this, I knew I must have said something wrong, but I couldn't figure out what.

"Ash, could you wait for us outside?" he said at least. "I need to talk to Jade."

"Are you sure?" Ash said, clearly not willing to leave. I felt blood rushing back to my face, wondering what the Kahuna wanted to tell me.

"Certain, Ash. What I have to tell to Jade isn't for you to hear."

Reluctantly, the raven haired boy left the hut and Kahuna Hala closed the door on him then went back to the couch, right in front of me.

"I got a call from Professor Kukui about you Jade." He started. I gasped. The professor certainly had told him of our first 'meeting'. "I know _all_ of what had happened at the Professor's when you arrived there, yesterday afternoon." He added as if he had read my thoughts. "Jade… You need to realize that I won't simply gift you a Z-ring just because you arrive and state you want one. And the same thing goes with the Totem Pokemon and the Z-Crystal. _All of us_ need to see that you deserve those sacred items."

"I understand that I must prove myself, Kahuna Hala," I uttered with as respectfully as I could. "And I will prove myself worthy of them." I added on. "I know my capabilities and all. I am sure I can obtain one."

The Kahuna didn't answer but ran his fingers through his thick white moustache. He kept starring at me, increasing my uneasiness. My hands clenched into a fist as I struggled to not fiddle with the jewel on my neck-choker. I followed Hala's eyes on my fist then on my face with a non-angered expression.

"Jade. I can see an aura of potential around you. I do not deny this fact." He said with a reassuring soft smile and tone. "However, what you inferred about getting a Z-Ring is nothing but an assumption. It's not a certainty. You must realize that you can never know what will happen in the future."

"I _know_ that I cannot see the future, Kahuna Hala." I retorted, with slight irritation in my voice, even though I had tried to keep it from showing. The idea of getting a Z-Ring and Z-Crystals slipping through my fingers just because I was aware of my abilities quite annoyed me.

"Jade." He snapped sternly. "You shouldn't let this irritable and overconfident attitude of yours cloud your judgement. You jump to conclusion and don't take the time to think things through. Exactly like yesterday when you had your Pokemon attack Professor Kukui because you thought he was in danger." I grimaced at this. "It's dangerous for you to be like this, especially if you plan to go on the Island Challenge." He fell silent then "If you keep this up, you won't succeed." He added to his little speech, ramming his point home. My mouth gaped at his comment and I couldn't help but look away once more, bitting on my lips to try and keep my tears from running down my cheeks. Did he _seriously_ think that my attitude and confidence could go so far that they'd prevent me from completing the Challenge?

The silence between us stretched with nothing to break it. Even Gaïa and Marie thought it was better not to utter a sound so palpable was the tension in the room.

"I am not saying you can't participate in the Island Challenge." Kahuna Hala gently said after a while. "I can't promise you'll get a Z-Ring, that's all. But this isn't mandatory to the Challenge. I can still register you to the Grand Trial, if you will."

"I… Thank you Kahuna." I said. "I will think about it. Thank you for your time and your information." I got up, Marie still in my arms and Gaïa using the back of the couch to climb on my shoulder, I made my way out of the Kahuna's hut, feeling more disheartened than I have ever felt.


	7. A Fiery Encounter

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**A Fiery ****Encounter**

I closed the door behind me. I didn't bang it, I just let it go off my grasp. My mind was a blank after the talk with the Kahuna. All around, everything was the same: the sun was still shining bright up in the clear cloudless sky. The Pokemon up in the trees or down on the ground were still emitting songs or their cries. Humans, tourists or locals, were going on their business. But to me, everything was duller than this morning. As if nothing mattered anymore.

"Hey!" I heard a voice calling me. I went down the stairs leading to Kahuna's Hala's house, heading straight, not really paying attention were I was going. Marie was still in my arms and Gaïa on my shoulder. I know they were worried, I could feel it. But what could I say? I felt like crying. Yet I certainly wasn't going to. Not here, not now.

"Hey!" the voice was insistant, a few steps behind me. "What did the Kahuna said?"

I just shrugged. I didn't feel like telling Ash that I haven't been deemed worthy of the Z-Ring and of the Z-Crystal that _he_ had managed to get from Tapu Koko. I clenched my fists. How could _he_ have gotten these? He was younger than me. Sure he had beaten me, yet it was only one battle. And he had needed that Z-move to do it. He wasn't more talented than I. Was he?

"Jade!" I felt a hand fell on my shoulder. I quickly turned, getting out of the grasp in the same movement and pushing his hand away.

"I told you, Ash! I don't like being touched unexpectedly." I snapped between gritted teeth. The raven haired boy certainly saw that I wasn't in my usual mood as he took a step back.

"I know. It's just… I saw you leaving. I asked you how it went with Kahuna Hala and what he told you. And you weren't answering me." he said, rubbing the back of his head. "What's the matter?"

"If I haven't answered, perhaps it's because I didn't want to answer you." I retorted. "Never thought of that?"

"That… Well… no." He admitted, looking down.

"Maybe you should have." I erupted, turning again to go wherever my feet were taking me. I didn't quite care where I was going. I needed some time to think. And some time alone. Not caring what Ash decided to do, I just went on my way, leaving him behind. I passed under the decorated arch and went down the hill.

Gaïa, however, seemed to have something else in mind as she left my shoulder and the beaten path to head towards the forest. I sighed as I followed her.

"Gaïa." I called. "I don't have time for this." She certainly had caught scent of a new exotic flowers she hadn't smelled before, I supposed as I tried to keep her in sight, dodging a low branch. I could feel Marie sinking her body into my arm as if she was going to bonk her head on the branch. However green on green made it hard for me to spot my grass type Pokemon.

"Gaïa! Stop right there. I really am in no mood for your antics." I yelled after her, picking up my pace. I growled as I stepped over a puddle of murky water, getting my boots dirty. Of course, Gaïa didn't attention at all, and just went wherever she had decided to. She seemed to make a show of it, using her vines to reach high branches, slidding down leaves and somersaulting over mud puddles.

"Alright, we know that you are quite the acrobat. Do you really needed to come all the way here to show it?" I asked, irritated.

She eventually stopped next to a bright red flower the size of a Vileplume. I thought for a split second that it was one until I remembered that there were no Vileplume on Alola. It was a gigantic natural flower. Above it were a few Butterfree who seemed to be also enjoying its heavy smell.

"Now if you are done; perhaps we can leave?" I said, taking her by the scruff of her neck. "And don't ever do this again," I told her sternly. "It can be dangerous to go in a forest on your own."

"Sny!" she countered, crossing her little arms on her chest and looking pridefully away. I placed her on my shoulder regardless of her behavior and attitude.

"We are not done." I warned her. However I was keeping my lecture for a more civilized place. I was about to go back the way I came from when I heard Marie croaking out loudly. "What is…?" I followed my Tympole's gaze. The bushes and branches were moving. Something was coming towards us.

"Alright," I muttered to my Pokemon. "Get ready." Tension filled up the air that it was almost palpable. I was trying to think what it could be, however my mind was just blank. I couldn't remember what Pokemon lived in the area near Ikki Town even though I was sure I had read about it. The lower branches were shaking and I saw a few leaves falling. Whatever it was, it'd soon be here.

"Stop!" I called to my Pokemon as I heard a twig snap followed by a fall down the hill and in a bush. A bush from which a yellow Pokemon escaped.

"Pikachu!" I exclaimed. There were a few Pikachu in the area, though this one seemed familiar. "Where is Ash?" I asked drily, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I am here," came the sheepish answer. Pikachu's trainer appeared, brushing his clothes that were dirty with mud and soil.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, with surprise and irritation in my voice. "I told you I didn't want to speak to you."

"I know. But… Well, you see… You were the one who brought us here…" he answered with an embarrassed grin. "We can't leave just like that."

"I see." I had totally forgotten I had taken them for a ride on Ferocity. "I suppose we can as well go back. I'll drop you at the school."

"Oh, sure. Thank you." Ash said. "Also, I think your Pokedex should be ready now. The prof told me he'd be putting the finishing touch this morning."

I frowned at that. Why would Ash know that? And why didn't Professor Kukui tell me so when he saw me earlier today? "Fine, let's go." I said shortly.

I was starting to head back the way we came from when Ash's Pikachu began to hiss, his eyes narrowed in the direction we were about to take.

"Pikachu?" Ash called his Pokemon. "What's wrong?" At that, the yellow Pokemon's ears perked up and his cheeks crackled with electricity.

"Move!" I yelled, pushing Ash out of the way of an oncoming body of orange flame as I leapt in the opposite direction. The fire blasted between us, engulfing the red flower. My boots skidded up mud and dirt when I slided to a stop. A smell of smoldering leather entered my nose and I quickly moved away from the burning plants as some reminiscing flames were grazing my right arm. Darn! My favorite jacket was ruined.

Gaïa leapt off my shoulder to get as far of the fire as she could while Marie hopped down my arms. She would be our best asset for whatever was attacking us, I thought. Dad and I had taught Gaïa Aqua Tail to counter the eventual Fire type Pokemon, yet try as she might, she'd never get it to be as powerful as Marie's Water Pulse.

"Marie!" I pointed at the scorching flower and my Tympole quickly understood what I expected of her. No need to be trapped between a fire type Pokemon and an inferno.

A loud outcry echoed followed by the bulky shape of an Incineroar rushing through the half burnt leaves. All of us stared upon the beyond infuriated black and red Pokemon glaring back at us. He suddenly howled out, slamming his two fists into the dirst. The ground shook under my feet and I seized Marie by the tail.

"Dodge it!" Ash commanded uselessly as pillars of fire erupted all around. We managed to get away, but it was only the beginning. The Incineroar pounced towards Gaïa with incredible velocity. At first, I thought that his fists were dirty with the mud, however it dawned on me that, in reality, it was a black aura when it nailed Gaïa on the chest with a Throat Chop, sending her skidding across the mucky ground.

"Pikachu; use Electroweb!" Ash yelled at his Pokemon. Pikachu rushed at the Incineroar, grunting as it ran up a tree. He used it to jump over his opponent and reach him. I looked away just in time as yellow flash of light blinded the massive Dark Pokemon.

"Gaïa! Use Magical Leaf on the mud!" I commanded her. She had taked the advantage of Pikachu's attack to flip on her feet – though not as elegantly as she usually did. After my order, she leapt up and spinned horizontally, using her tail to fire out multiple sparkling leaves into the mud. They splattered onto the Incineroar's face. Though it probably didn't hurt him much, it did bother him. He howled out, rubbing his furry arms in hope to get it all off. However he only spread the mud on his fur.

This was our chance to finish it. "Marie! Water Pulse!" I called, thrusting my first out as Ash commanded his Pokemon to use Thunderbolt. In spite of myself, I couldn't help but think it was a good idea from Ash to combine his eletric move with Marie's Water Pulse as it'd increase Pikachu's attack.

Marie jumped up as high as she could and fired a ball of clean water that slammed onto the Incineroar's chest, drenching the Pokemon's fur. It hissed even more, trying to shake himself to get rid of the water just as Thunderbolt hit it, raising smoke and dirt, hiding Incineroar from us. I coughed as I moved back to Ash.

"Is it done?" he asked me. Yet, before I could answer, loud punches on the forest floor could be heard and, through the smoke, I could see the Incineroar blindly hitting the ground with his massive fists.

"He's trying to use Fire Pledge again!" I told Ash. "Don't stand here. Marie, use Water Pulse on Gaïa's tail. Gaïa, use Aquatail!" The ground was shaking once more, though not as hard as before. It certainly was getting tired.

"Why?" Ash asked as fire erupted through new holes in the ground, increasing the temperature even more. "Water Pulse didn't work, do you think Aquatail will be better?"

"I am not aiming at him!" I growled, watching Marie leaping up and throwing water to Gaïa's tail leaves "Gaïa, use it on the fire!" I told her. It'd not be as strong as a Water Pledge, and certainly wasn't going to have the combined effect of a Water and Fire Pledge together. However it'd help diminish the Incineroar's fire power. And prevent Ash, me and our Pokemon to be burned to a crisp.

Gaïa did as I had commanded and threw her wet leaves all around, successfully stopping most of the fire. Thankfully, some of the leaves landed on the Incineroar, slicing him. Though weakened, the Pokemon still didn't seem about to let go. He opened wide his mouth, baring his fangs. From deep inside, I could see a red glow.

"Pikachu! Use Quick Attack!" Ash told his Pokemon. Pikachu raced towards the Incineroar, dodging every flame that was thrown at him and hit him hard on the chin, closing the feline Pokemon's jaws in a loud cracking sound as it was about to use another Flame Thrower attack. Fumes and fire escaped through the corner of its lips. With a last snarl, that sounded more like a moan to me, the Incineroar left the place.

"What a battle!" Ash said, facing me, his hands on his hips. "You're quite good! And that combo move with your Snivy and your Tympole! That was awesome."

"Gaïa and Marie." I corrected him. "And thank you." I merely added, though his compliment did make me feel better. "Marie, use Mud Shot on the ember. Gaïa, use the muddy water for another Aquatail." I commanded my Pokemon. All around us, the forest looked a mess with burnt leaves and remnant of fire. "Do you know if a local trainer has an Incineroar?" I asked Ash.

"What… oh… No." He answered. "I know there is a Litten in the village as I saw him a few times. I don't know of an Incineroar. Why?"

"Because," I answered with a sigh. "I learned that Incineroar can ignore its trainer's order if it's not in a mood to listen." How come Ash didn't know that… "If it belonged to someone, we could tell this person what had happened." And I'd ask them to pay for my jacket to be repaired and cleaned. I added in my head.

"Well, we could tell Officer Jenny about it. She'd most likely know something." Ash proposed with a bright smile.

"Hm… I guess." I replied. "Let's go." I looked around, checking if there weren't any ember or flame left but Marie and Gaïa had done a very good job and I told them so. Yet, once again, we're prevented to go on our way when we heard the trees and bushes' leaves moving. Maybe the Incineroar was back with company?


	8. Skull and Poison

**Disclaimer: This story, the characters -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**Skull and Poison**

The bushes were moving. Whoever was coming our way, it really didn't try to be discreet. The thought that it may be the Incineroar again crossed my mind, as it did my and Ash's Pokemon as all three took a fighting stance. However I dismissed that idea quickly when I heard a whistle. Pokemon, much less a rather furious feline, didn't emit whistle of 'beauty'.

"Who is there?" I called.

"Look at this mess! That was indeed quite a battle." Three people came out of the underbrush. A gangster appareled blue haired man who had a Salandit on his shoulder, a similarly styled pink haired girl with a black Pokemon in her arms and a Zubat fluttering next to her and a fat brown haired man with a Garbodor at his side. All three of them had a mask over their mouth and a silver skull necklace. I turned to Ash.

"Do you know them?" I muttered.

"Team Skull." he mumbled back.

Even though I wished to know more about this 'Team Skull', I doubted now was the time for a proper introduction. Besides I wasn't sure I really wanted to know them. They certainly meant no good.

"Hey, cutie, I have never seen a pretty girl in stylin' clothing be part of a wuss' team," the blue haired man said. "Why dontcha leave the boy and join us?"

I was about to reply something about where he could put his invitation to join them when Ash cut me, pointing at them.

"You are responsible for the Incineroar attacking us!" he accused them. They looked at each other then back towards us and chuckled.

"Us? No, kiddo." the girl said. "You didit all by yarself. See, Incineroar are kinda proud and territorial. And ya entered its territory." she explained with a smirk. "What didja expect?"

"How do you know that?" Ash exclaimed, surprised at her knowledge. The girl frowned.

"Whadja mean? Are you sayin' that 'cause I dun look like you, I must be stupid?" she snarled. I hated to admit it, but she had a point. However I wasn't going to say it outloud.

"And that Litten in your arms?" I said, pointing at the black creature that she was carrying. I had some trouble finding out what species it was as it wasn't moving, or hardly, and she had her arm covering most of the Pokemon's form.

"That?" the girl said with a shrug. "Given yall were keepin' mama busy, we thought we could as well take the bab so it'd not be orphaned."

"And you think we're going to believe you?" I retorted with a scoff. "Litten don't give their trust that easily."

"That's true." the fat guy said, showing his hands and arms that were cowered in bloody scratch marks. There even was one going across his left eye. "However tis nathing a little poison can't help."

"You poisonned him?" Ash and I exclaimed at the same time. How mean could they be? The Litten seemed to be so small, it couldn't be really old. And yet they hadn't hesitated to attack it when it was left defenseless.

"So what? It's a fair move to use in battle." the girl replied with a shrug. The Litten didn't react at all. Focusing on it, I saw it was loudly and quickly breathing.

"I don't think you gave it a real battle," I hissed. "Come and face someone who can actually fight back."

"You?" The girl laughed. "Look kid, even though I like yar outfit, you need to realize that ya and yar Pokemon are in no position to fight us. Zubat!" she called. "Absorb!" She was pointing at Marie.

"Marie! Dodge!" I called to my Tympole at the same time as the flying Pokemon was rushing towards her. However she looked scared and didn't seem to be about to move. Fortunately though, Gaïa intervened and intercepted the move, the Zubat digging its fangs into her back. Green drops appeared on her leafy skin. With a swift move of her tail, she pushed her opponent away, back where it came from.

"Gaïa! Use Magical Leaf!" I commanded. We were quite at a disadvantage here, I thought. All three of their Pokemon had advantage over mine. Still, even though she was tired from her previous battle against the Incineroar, Gaïa put her tail in a murk pool and threw it towards the girl. Several leaves appeared, all brown and green, flying in her direction. Saddly, the move didn't have much any effect on her except cutting and leaving dirt all over her clothes.

"HEY! WATCH IT!" she screamed.

"Pikachu! Thunderbolt!" Ash said to Pikachu pointing at the Zubat, cutting my witty come back.

"Oh na ya don't." the brown haired grunt intervened with his Garbodor, asking it to use a Sludge Bomb. Pikachu avoided the move at the last second but completely missed his target.

"Gaïa, use Tackle on Garbodor!" I commanded my Snivy. She really didn't seem to be in condition. She was panting heavily, yet she obeyed. Gaïa sprinted towards the big poison Pokemon whaming her head onto it. It stumbled back from the impact, yet at the same time, Gaïa fell down, her leaf hands on her sensitive nose. "Marie, Bubblebeam!" The Tympole hopped as high as she could and fired down at the Zubat yet the flying Pokemon easily dodged the bubbles which exploded against the branches of the trees behind the poison Pokemon.

"Alright, Salandit! Flame Burst." The blue haired grunt boomed out.

"Gaïa, watch out!" I cried to her as she was still holding her muzzle. "Marie, aim your Water Pulse at the Salandit!" I added in a panicked voice.

Marie perfectly hit the fire Pokemon's head, turning it sideway, thus preventing its attack to touch Gaïa. However the flames erupted on the forest floor once again, spreading quickier than before.

"We must finish that battle, and quick!" Ash said. I bit my lips to prevent me from snapping at him. Now wasn't the time to quarrel. The brown haired grunt had commanded his Pokemon for a Double Slap. One of the Garbodor's large whip-like arms seized Gaïa by the neck and with the other, it proceded to hit her hard twice. It then threw her away in my direction. I jumped to intercept her and I collapsed onto the ground, air knowked out of my chest but Gaïa resting in my arms.

"Pikachu, Thunderbolt on the Zubat!" This time, Pikachu hit his target that fell down to its trainer's feet.

"Marie! Use your Water Pulse!" I yelled, getting up slowly, trying to catch my breath and keeping Gaïa close.

"Flame Burst!"

But unfortunately for the Salandit's trainer, it wasn't enough and Marie's jet of water went right through the flames, drenching the fire Pokemon. Smoke were coming out of its mouth. Hopefully it'd have extinguished it for a while.

"Now, you let go of this Litten!" Ash screamed, raising his fist in anger.

"Sure, if that's what ya want." the girl said, taking the Pokemon by the neck and dropping it on the forest floor. "It's weak. It's just fair it remains with weak trainers."

"Garbodor, Poison Gas!" The Trash Pokemon held his three fingered sort of arm and a purplish brown gas came out of it, blinding us and making us cough. I dared not speak nor breathe. I covered my mouth with my left hand, my right holding Gaïa tightly against my chest, and made my best to walk blindly through the cloud of poison.

I heard Ash throw a Pokeball in the air, a red light glowing up and then, the wind blew all around me, sending mud and dirt and leaves in every direction, on me included. I dared not imagine what I looked like, but I was sure I'd need to get my clothes washed after that. "Jade!" I heard Ash calling me.

"I am here." I said at least once I was sure I could safely breathe. I could open my eyes even though they still stung a bit.

"Are you alright?" he asked me, running to my side. I saw him about to touch my arm, but he recoiled in time. "I asked Rowlet to blow the poison gas cloud away." he said at last with a weak smile. Over him, sitting on a branch was a Rowlet. So that was the Pokemon he had mentionned earlier when he was talking about his battle against the Kahuna.

"That was a good idea." I said. "Say, isn't your Rowlet… sleeping?" The Pokemon had its eyes closed and seemed dead to the world.

"Er… yeah… He tends to fall asleep really fast." Ash explained with an embarrassed chuckle. "Also your Tympole… "

"Marie," I filled in.

"Yes. She quenched the flames with her Water Pulse." he added.

"I am not surprised, she's quite clever." I answered Ash. Marie was standing a few feet away. Happily, she hadn't been taken into the Poison Gas move and seemed to be doing mostly alright. She was hopping up and down on what looked like a bed of leaves. She certainly should have heard me and understood the compliment as she proudly croacked.

"Those cowards…" Ash commented. "They didn't even finish the fight."

"It doesn't matter," I said. "We better go back to Ikki Town to have our Pokemon healed."

"Of course," Ash agreed. "Wait! The Litten…! He needs healing too." he rushed to the place the pink haired girl had dropped the little black Pokemon. "It's not here. They have taken him along. Come, we have to find them again." he said, already running in the direction I supposed the three 'Team Skull' members had disappeared.

"Ash…" I called him. "_I_ have the Litten."

"You… You do?" he exclaimed, turning to face me.

"Yes," I merely said. The fire pokemon was indeed with me, resting alongside Gaïa in my arms. And both looked rather exhausted. "I have an antidote in my bag… That's on my bike." I told him, cursing me for not thinking to take my stuff along. "If you can, try to find a Pecha Berry, it'd help with the poison. It's a roundish orange berry." I added, just in case.

The way back was short as we raced back, trusting Pikachu to get back to town. I wanted to ask Ash for some information regarding this Team Skull, yet I thought better to save my breath and this conversation for later. Running through the thick forest was hard enough, especially after two battles in a row, I wasn't going to endanger Gaïa's and this Litten's life over that.

I was pleased to leave the muddy forest for the dry hard path leading uphill to Ikki Town. My entire outfit was dirty and I didn't know if my jacket was salvable after what it had gone through. Yet for now, it was the least of my concern.

The Pokemon Center was quiet as none else but Nurse Joy was inside, working on the computer as her Chansey was keeping herself busy cleaning the counter.

"Nurse Joy!" Ash and I cried as we came in. I placed Gaïa and the Litten in front of her. "We need help!" I said. "This Litten is badly poisonned. And my Pokemon got into a battle." I took Marie out of her Pokeball and put her next to the other two.

"My Pikachu was involved as well." Ash added, Pikachu getting down his shoulder to get on the counter.

"Sure, leave them to me." she kindly answered, though I could feel the urgency in her voice the moment she saw the two most injured Pokemon. She softly picked up Gaïa then the Litten and put them on a stretcher. "Blissey, take them to the emergency room." she commanded her partner while she was taking Marie and Pikachu to put them on another.

"Please, help the Litten. He has been poisonned by Team Skull members." Ash said.

"Team Skull you say?" she asked. "You weren't battling one another?"

"No!" I replied curtly. "We don't know what sort of poison they used on it and I didn't have any antidote with me."

"No worry. We'll cure him!" she assured us with a small smile. She pushed the second strecher into a room closed by heavy white double doors, leaving Ash and me alone in the hall.

"Do you think they'll be fine?" Ash asked, dropping on a cushionned bench in the waiting area.

"They certainly will be. Nurse Joys are the best, they know their business." I said absentmindedly. There was a small vending machine that offered drinks and snack next to a coffee vending machine. Coffee sounded nice right now, yet I still decided to take a soda. I needed something cold after the heat of the battle. While the machine was pushing forwards the drink I had selected, I removed my leather jacket to assess the damage.

My can of soda in one hand and my jacket in the other, I sat next to Ash and placed both items down on the coffee table in front of us. As I expected, my jacket was covered in mud and it'd require special cleaning to get it out. Happily, none of the fake jadeite had been damaged. Still, I'd not be able to wear it anytime soon.

"So, tell me a bit about this Team Skull." I told Ash both to take his mind out of the Pokemon getting cured – he had been walking to and fro from the door, trying to catch some glimpse of what was going on inside, to the couch and back up again – and to satisfy my curiosity.

"They're a group of thugs who bother and bully people and pokemon for their own pleasure." he replied. "They don't care about anything and always target people who are weaker than they are."

"I don't like being called 'weak'," I told him sharply. "They chose the wrong target today and I'll show them that. Why don't the police or the Kahuna do something against them? Certainly people must have complained about them."

"I guess. I don't know why they don't arrest them."

"Hm…" I growled, frowning. The rest of the wait was done in silence, Ash keeping walking and going, appearantly unable to sit still, and slowly getting on my nerve. I took several sips of my soda to relax and to try and think about something else. Yet, the words of the Kahuna kept swirling in my mind. '_You jump to conclusion and don't take the time to think things through._'

The Kahuna had been right. When the Incineroar had attacked, I just retaliated without thinking that _I_ could be in the wrong and it… she, could be defending her territory from intruders. And from this, Gaïa got severely injured and her baby Litten got poisoned by bad people. And I brought Ash into this. I looked at him from the corner of my eyes, he was back up, walking to the door again, a look of worry on his face. I should apologize, I thought, putting the empty can into a trash bin and getting up.

Just then, the white door opened on nurse Joy.

"How are they?" both Ash and I asked.

"They are doing alright," she answered. "Your Snivy, Tympole and Pikachu are resting."

"What about the Litten?" I asked.

"That's… a bit more complicated. Which one of you is his trainer?"

"Actually… He doesn't belong to us." Ash replied. "We found him in the forest."

"I thought so." the nurse said with a sigh. "It's a young one. It probably hatched not too long ago. And he wasn't ready to take in a poisonous move. We are doing all we can to keep him sedated and help him fight the poison. However we can't say for sure if he will make it."

"Nurse Joy," I called sternly. "May I have Gaïa and Marie back?" she turned at me, looking puzzled. "My Snivy and my Tympole." I completed.

"Sure. A moment."

"Jade? What are you going to do?" the raven haired boy hissed as I went to get my dirty jacket and wrapped it around my waist, attaching the sleeves together on the front so it'd not fall down. "Don't you want to stay till the Litten is healed?"

"I have to go see someone." I said. "There is nothing I can do here to help the Litten, is there?"

"You're going after those who did that? I am going with you!"

"No!" I exclaimed, surprising the pink haired and dressed nurse who had just come back with my girls. I was as delighted to see them as they were to jump back into my arms. "You stay here." I firmly told Ash who looked at me with incomprehension in his eyes. "Thank you nurse Joy!" I added with a slight nod to her before leaving the Pokemon Center.


	9. Trial Begins

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**Note: I watched the episode in which Ash has his first trial, and the gumshoos/yangoos are introduced... It just makes no sense to me. The Kahuna tells Ash that fighting isn't always the best solution to choose to solve an issue. And in the end... Ash with by using his pokemon to battle the Gumshoos and Yangoos... What is the lesson to learn here?**

**Anyway...**

**Trial Begin**

"So that's all that had happened," I concluded my tale of the recent events to Kahuna Hala. I was back in his living room, on the same couch where I have been sitting what seemed to be like several hours ago, Marie and Gaïa on my laps. He had listened to me without uttering a word.

"And what is your opinion?" He asked in a calm voice, brushing his white moustache.

I frowned as I clenched my fists. "I… You were right." I forced the words out of my mouth. "I am much too reckless and I don't take the time to think things through."

"Jade." He said gently, bending forwards and placing his massive left hand on mine. I grew tense under his touch, but this time, he didn't pay attention to it and left his hand where it was. "Admitting it is the first and hardest step. Now let me ask you, what would you have done, had you analyzed the situation?"

"I would… I would have asked Marie to blind the Incineroar. Or maybe Gaïa to use Magical Leaf and make a diversion to attract its… her attention, so we could leave her territory." I suggested. "That way we'd not have gotten into a useless battle and the Litten would still be safe with his mother."

Kahuna Hala nodded and removed his hand, to my relief.

"Tell me, do you know the story of the Rattata and the Yungoos?" he asked out of the blue.

"The… Is it a tale with a moral at the end?" I asked back. This made him chuckle.

"Yes and no. It really happened, but we certainly can, and should, consider what happened as a lesson in acting without thinking. I'll give you the short version, don't worry." He proceeded to sit down comfortably on his sofa.

"Several generations ago, Rattata reached Alola, travelling in the cargo hold of ships that were taking tourists and migrants to the archipelago. People didn't notice them at first, they scattered and left to the forest and surrouding high grass patches. However it mustn't have been to their liking as they were soon found living in cities, salvaging trash bins, raiding shops and stalls. Even some houses.. As they didn't have any predators – Persian and Meowth aren't used to hunt here" he added when he noticed I was about to say something, "they thrived and multiplied to the point they just were everywhere."

"So a clever guy thought that a good way to get rid of the increasing number of Rattata was to bring one of their natural predators from another region that was Rattata-less. A few couples of Gumshoos and Yungoos were then sent over here. And it seemed to work rather well. The population of Rattata decreased drastically. But that clever guy hadn't taken into account the capacity for adaptation some Pokemon can have. The Rattata didn't leave the cities, they changed their habits: from diurnal, they became nocturnal, their usually light fur became dark and the most clever ones survived, passing down to their offsprings their new ability. And those new dark Rattata and Raticate went on raiding food from town. The Gumshoos and Yungoos on the other hand, didn't change their habits and remained diurnal. As they couldn't find their favorite meal anymore, they simply did during the day what the Rattata were doing at night."

"Alola got another problem to an already problematic situation. All because one guy didn't think things through and underestimated what he was dealing with. Do you understand?"

I slowly nodded. "Even with the best intentions in mind, we can make mistakes if we're too confident and don't take everything into account when we act." I said.

"That's correct," Kahuna Hala approved. "Well, now, what can I do for you? I doubt you came back here just to exchange stories."

"That's correct," I replied with a smile that was mirrored by the Kahuna – though his was so much bigger than mine. "I came to ask you if I still could participate to the Island Challenge."

"As I told you earlier, you're welcome if you want to do it." he said, obviously pleased. "There is just that thing that I can't promise you'll get a Z-Ring."

"It's alright," I said, though I still hoped I'd make them all - he, the Tapu, whoever else I had to prove myself to - see that I was worthy of both Z-Ring and Z-Crystals. "What do I have to do for this challenge? Ash told me about a Grand Trial."

The Kahuna chuckled. "That's not for now. First, you have to accomplish a small task." He said, getting up.

"What task? Ash didn't tell me a single thing about any task." He only had spoken about his grand trial against Hala and, of course, the feast that had followed his victory.

"Typical Ash. I am not surprised. Come with me." he gestured me to follow him out of his house.

"Gaïa," I called my Snivy, and she quickly climbed on my shoulder as I took Marie in my hands. I shielded my eyes from the bright hot sun as we exited Hala's home. I didn't feel as warm as when I had my jacket on, yet I didn't feel more comfortable either. Without it on my shoulders, it was as if my torso was bare. Still I went after the Kahuna. "I suppose Ash didn't tell you why the Island Challenge had been created, did he?"

"No." I admitted. I haven't asked him either.

"The main purpose of the Challenge is to make trainers stronger." he explained. "A bit like the gyms there are in the other regions." he added with a smile. "But that's not the main reason. Its main purpose is to raise trainers to love and protect the Islands inhabitants, human and Pokemon alike." We were now leaving the outskirts of Ikki Town, travelling through another part of the forest, the thick and tall trees sheltering us from the sun. Happily there weren't any mud pool here.

"I understand that." I said with a nod.

"What'll perhaps be harder for you to understand is that, even though we love Pokemon, at times it's necessary to be hard on them." he came to a stop before a wide entrance on a stony wall.

"What do you mean?" I exclaimed.

"Do you remember when I said that the Gumshoos and Yungoos that had been imported were raiding the cities of Alola?"

"Yes…" I hesitantly answered as I was starting to see where he was getting at.

"Our ancestors rightfuly decided not to create another disaster and import Gumshoos and Yungoos' natural predator here. Therefore we have to keep their population in check by ourselves." he statted. "Here is the Verdant Cavern," he said, pointing at the hole. "Many Yungoos and Gumshoos have made it their home." He went inside and I followed suit. The cavern was more massive than I had thought. The stone walls supported a somewhat circular ceiling. A few holes into it let some sunrays go through, illuminating the cave in a greenish light. The boulders and smallers rocks that spotted the ground had all a layer of the same thick and rather chilled looking moss over them. Many trainers must have gone here before as there also were paths that lead into different smaller cave entrances. The air was also chiller than outside and I got the goosebumps.

I was watching my steps as I went down the path leading deeper into the cave were Kahuna Hala was going. Gaïa certainly considered I was taking too long as she hopped off of my shoulder onto the stone ground and descended by swiftly skipping agross the mossy stones. Once at the base of the hill, she turned and yelled at me, her small hands waving. I shook my head.

"No way! I am not leaping on mossy rocks. Not with boots on. And certainly not with Marie in my arms." I said. Gaïa pouted and crossed her arms, looking away as if I had disappointed her. Yet I picked up my pace and passed Kahuna Hala right when the descent reached its end. I lowered my Tympole onto the cold stone ground.

"Alright Jade." the Kahuna said. "As you can see, several Gumshoos and Yungoos have noticed our presence." That was true. I saw a few bright yellow eyes glaring at us from small holes carved at different levels of the cave. And it probably was nothing compared with what Gaïa and Marie certainly had seen. "You have to fight those who will get out. By doing so, you're bound to force their alpha, that we call 'Totem', out of its lair. Your task is to defeat this Totem Pokemon. If you do, the lesser Gumshoos and Yungoos will leave. Are you ready?" he asked in a booming voice.

"Are we ready, Kahuna?" I countered in a loud voice. "Always am! Alright, you two," I knelt down to Gaïa and Marie. We're about to start our great adventure. Let's do it with a bang!" I enthusiastically said to them. Gaïa punched her chest with her tiny hands and Marie hopped up and down with elated croaking noises. I slipped my hand into my pants pocket, reaching for my fingerless green and black gloves that I put on.

"I hope so. And I wish you the best! Now… Let… the trial… begins:" Hala announced with a mighty holler. He then moved out of the way, crossing his arms over his huge chest. I felt the rush of adrenaline coming through my spine to my heart. To me, it was the best feeling I could ever have.

"Let's get this party started!" I said. Given the noise we had made, I wasn't surprised when several Yungoos and a Gumshoos have been disturbed. They made their way out of their darks dens and glared down at me. Two of the most audacious leaped from their dens, landing on all fours. They were all brown with yellow on their back and stomach. What caught my attention were their long black claws and their white fangs. Both looked sharp.

"All right, Gaïa, Tackle attack! Marie, Bubblebeam." I shouted out. My Snivy dashed at the Yungoos with full velocity. Marie launched out a series of bubbles toward the other Yungoos. This one apparantly had some guts as, instead of trying to dodge them, it bared its fangs and effortlessly chomped all the bubbles, until it had reached Marie. It opened its jaw wide to bite my Tympole. However she instinctively moved out of the way, dodging the Bite move by flipping backwards.

Gaïa wasn't so lucky though. She was closing in on the Yungoos but got blinded by a Sand Attack, making her miss her target by a foot. She shrieked out in pain from the stinging sensation, rubbing her head to try and get rid of the sand. Taking advantage of her being distracted, the Yungoos used its own Tackle move, sending her rocketing onto a mossy rock which cracked upon impact. Dazed, Gaïa collapsed on the ground. Probably thinking she was out, the Yungoos joined his partner to focus on Marie.

"Ganging up, eh?" I said. "Marie, give them a taste of their own medicine. Mud Shot!" I commanded her. Marie leaped up into the air and none of the Yungoos reacted. However it put her in range of the Gumshoos that I had forgotten. He jumped for a Tackle attack. Yet Marie's Mud Shot splattered all over its eyes, making it lose its composure in mid air, causing it to fall on the Yungoos. The time it took for them to hiss at each other was enough for Gaïa to get back to her feet, to my relief.

"Gaïa. Magical Leaf!" I shouted; "Marie, Facade!" I clapped my hands together once, as a smirk of victory grew on my lips. Gaïa started spinning on her feet, her tails glowing bright and multi colored, sparkling sharp leaves appeared, rotating around the Snivy. They struck the Gumshoos, creating a smoke ball of sort as Marie slammed head first onto the Yungoos, sending it right to the other one, both of them crashing down.

The remaining Gumshoos snarled, not ready to be defeated yet, even though the blow of losing its two partners as well as the hits it had taken from my Pokemon both had weakened it. It emited a loud road, shaking the walls and ceiling of the cavern, and glared at my Pokemon and me, forcing us to take a step back. It was _mad_ at us!

"Gaïa!" I called. "Don't be fooled by his Leer. Use Magical Leaf. Marie, use Mud Shot!" It took a split second for my Pokemon to recollect, a split second that the opposing Gumshoos tried to use to Tackle Gaïa. However Marie's Mud Shot made him slip over a rock he hadn't seen and Gaïa's well placed Magical Leaf was enough to faint it.

"We did it girls!" I exclaimed, kneeling down before Gaïa who had started to rub her eyes again. I took an handkerchief and proceeded to wipe the sand off them. Both my Pokemon seemed happy and slapped their tails on one another. I turned to look at Kahuna Hala, yet he was still unmoving. We had defeated the Gumshoos and Yungoos as he has asked though. The task was over, wasn't it?

I was about to ask him about it when a loud 'thud' resonnated through the cave's walls, shaking them. Dust and moss fell from the ceiling. Gaïa and Marie rushed to me, hidding behind my back as I looked up to see a Gumshoos, approximately three times larger that the one my Pokemon had just defeated. It was standing before us… Actually, towering would be more like it as it was much taller than I was, now it was upright on its hindlegs.

"Now it really begins." Kahuna Hala said in a low voice.


	10. Totem Battle

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

10 - Totem Battle

"So, this is a Totem Pokemon..." I muttered. I could see a hint of fear radiating from my Pokemon's eyes, certainly the same that should be in mine. It was soon replaced by determination that didn't flutter, even when the Totem Gumshoos bellowed out a mighty roar that kicked up dirt and dust from the stone ground and the stone ceiling.

"If that's what you ask…" I said. "Gaïa. Use Tackle. Marie, Water Pulse!" I commanded my Pokemon."

"Vy!" Gaïa shouted out shortly, as if trying to give her own battle cry that would frighten the gigantic Gumshoos, to no effect. She still bolted off to the Totem. Marie front flipped in the air, all the while gathering up a sparkling Water Pulse and launched it towards the Gumshoos. Yet I was completely stunned when it literally kicked the Water Pulse back towards Marie and, in the same movement, swiftly spinned to the left to dodge Gaïa's attack.

"Vine Whip!" I yelled. "Pull her back!" The Snivy quickly released her vines that usually were hidded around her neck and wrapped them around Marie's vibration cups, taking her away from her own move, barely dodging the Totem's oncoming Take Down. It skidded to a stop.

"Gaïa, grab Gumshoos' feet and pull 'em down!" I commanded. Releasing her comrades, she managed to wrap her vines around the clawed feet, yet she didn't manage to unbalance it. The Totem grabbed the vines and pulled them off, both Pokemon being caught in a strange game of Tug-of-war. A thought crossed my mind: We could use it to our advantage.

"Pull yourself in and Tackle Gumshoos!" I told her. "Marie, charge up a Water Pulse again." However, as if it had understood the command I had just given, the oversized Pokemon decided to spin Gaïa by her vines, rendering it impossible for her to use Tackles the way I had wanted her to. It then let go of the Snivy, chucking her onto Marie, forcing her to launch her Water Pulse towards a stone wall. Both shrieked out on their forceful impact against one another and then against a green mossy rock.

Through the rubble stettling down, I could see Gaïa and Marie strugging to their feet, the Totem running in their direction, clearly about to use a Take Down attack.

"Gaïa, Aqua Tail! Marie, fire another Water Pulse!" I quickly hollered, clapping my left fist in my right hand. We were not down yet! Gaïa planted her vines into the dirt and used the support to lift her body off the ground. She aimed her tail at the Gumshoos and fired off a dense cyclone of water. Upon seeing this, the Gumshoos leaped into the air, causing Gaïa's move to miss the Totem. _Exactly_ what I had wanted.

Instead of hitting the opponent, the cyclone of water increased the size of the Water Pulse that Marie fired off. And the best of it all was that, as the Gumshoos was already into the air, it had allowed Marie to aim the Water Pulse to the Gumshoo's peak height before the effect of the Aqua Tail took in.

I smiled broadly as the water attack struck its target. And it struck it hard. The Totem Pokemon bellowed a painful roar before plummeting to the ground

"Alright Gaïa. Finish it off with a Magical Leaf." I commanded her before it hit the stone floor. It was better not to take any risks of it getting back up. My Snivy returned to her feet, spinning horizontally to fire multi colored glittering leaves to the falling Totem which roared out on the leaves' impact. However, to my shock, the impact didn't send the enormous Gumshoos towards the wall… What was I expecting… Bigger size meant bigger weigh.

The Totem slammed onto the ground, dirt and dust erupting into the air all around us. I shielded my eyes from the rather warm air until an eerie quietness echoed through the cavern. Through a small opening between my arms, I immediately spotted the towering silhouette of the Totem Gumshoos, its glaring red eyes piercing through the haze. But it wasn't the only thing that I saw. Much smaller than the totem, another Gumshoos was standing at its side. Looking equally furious. That roar… It must have called for help.

I eyed at Marie and Gaïa. They kept glaring at their opponents, now twice as numerous as before, yet I was no fool. I could see them breathing loudly and the many scratches on their skins. We had to wrap this up, and fast. Or we'd lose. And I refused to lose! I had to think quick. Defeating the Totem Gumshoos would be the best bet, yet that new Gumshoos could as well hinder my attempt and just attack Gaïa or Marie. I didn't have time to think more as the Gumshoos charged at us.

"Marie, Facade! Gaïa, Tackle!" I commanded my Pokemon as I moved out of the way of the incoming Pokemon. With a high pitched battle cry, My Pokemon charged straight towards their opponent. The lesser Gumshoos easily dodged Gaïa's attack and seized her through its powerful jaws, shaking his head. I cringed when I head Gaïa's cry of pain.

"Gaïa! Use Magical Leaf!" I yelled in desperation, hoping she'd listen to me and have enough energy left to obey me. Marie had crashed on the Totem Pokemon, making him fall a few steps backwards. But it was still holding on. Maybe…

"Marie! Mud Shot on the Totem Gumshoos!" Quickly my Tympole hopped up, throwing some water on the dirt and sending it as strongly as she could to the oversized Gumshoos. The mud landed straight to its face, blinding him somewhat. "Keep doing it!" I commanded Marie. Gaïa was still trapped into her opponent's powerful fangs. No matter how much she was hitting it with the leaves from her tails, it wasn't just letting her go.

"Now Marie, use Facade again!" I said, hoping it'd be enough. The Gumshoos had stopped attacking Marie, it was focused on rubbing his eyes, trying to get the mud out of them, so he didn't see when the Tympole slammed into one it with full force, making it lose its balance and sending it crash into its ally.

A greenish smoke cloud covered the area, just like it has a few moment before, blinding my view of the Totem Pokemon and its ally as well as mine. When the dust settled down, I saw that the Totem Gumshoos was flopped on the ground, out cold. The lesser Gumshoos was stuck under it, out cold. I was relieved when I saw Gaïa, free of its jaws, breathing heavily but still up, standing a few feet away. Marie, on the other hand, was standing as proud as she could on her opponent's fur.

The sounds of scurried feet from above took my attention away from the enormous defeated Gumshoos and I could see small Yungoos and Gumshoos running in every direction.

"Your task is over!" Kahuna Hala anounced in a rather proud tone, going near me. I couldn't help but exult with joy, scooping Marie and Gaïa up into my arm, embracing them tight.

"Too tight huh?" I laughed when they squirmed. "You were fantastic! You did a great job!" I congratulated them. I could feel Marie nuzzling her vibration cups to my collarbone as Gaïa laid her head on my chest, rubbing her cheeks against my shirt. "How did I do?" I asked the Kahuna.

"You did well," he said at last. "And you haven't made the ceiling collapse on us, which is better."

"I can't believe he said that." Ash exclaimed.

"But he did." I retorted. Once my task had been completed and the Kahuna had brought me out of the Verdant Cavern, I had rushed to the Pokemon Center to get Marie and Gaïa healed. The nurse was aghast when she saw me running inside with two Pokemon she had healed a few hours ago that needed healing again. I saw her disapproving glance, yet I didn't care. I had a sigh of relief when she took them. I went to sit in the waiting area when I saw that Ash was still here, his Pikachu on his shoulder, and the Litten still in Intensive Care.

"Where have you been?" had he asked as I sat down. I had proceeded to tell him all of what had happened since I had left the Pokemon Center. Pikachu got down his trainer's shoulder to stand between us. I absentmindedly rubbed his head, to his delight.

"But the best is yet to come!" I added with a smile.

"Oh? What is it?" the raven haired boy asked, his curiosity piqued.

"Come on Ash, can't you guess?" I teased, digging my hand in my pants pocket.

"You don't mean…" He didn't complete his sentence, but I saw his eyes grow wide.

"Got it right!" I grinned, taking a nearly white crystal out between my thumb and forefinger. It had a black mark in the middle. "My first Z-Crystal." I don't know where it comes from. It just fell on my head. I was so surprised."

"So it means Kahuna Hala will make a Z-Ring for you?" Ash excitedly asked. He sounded even more ecstatic than I had been.

"Yes. It'll take a couple of days though." I replied with a sigh.

"Eh, two days is nothing," Ash was saying, but I wasn't listening to him anymore as Nurse Joy had appeared.

"Your Snivy and Tympole… Gaïa and Marie," she corrected herself. "Are doing alright." she announced with a faint smile. She still resented that I had taken my two partners into a battle so soon after having had them healed.

"And the Litten?" I tentatively asked. The nurse's smile broadened.

"You'll be pleased to know he is out of danger."

"Can we see him?" Both Ash and I asked in unisson.

"Alright," the nurse agreed after a few seconds. "You have to promise you'll be quiet. He still is recovering." We promised and she brought us in a clean white room where Litten was resting in a small incubator. His breath was deep and even.

"It looks so small…"

"In a few days, he'll be strong enough to leave the incubator."

"Sweet! We'll be able to bring him back to his mother then!" I said. Causing the nurse's smile to disappear.

"I am afraid it's not that simple." she said. "You have to understand that Pokemon aren't like human. For the safety of the clan, some do not hesitate to get rid of the weakest of the litter. In this case, the Litten have been manipulated by human. If you were to bring him back to his mother, she'd not recognise it anymore."

"But it's her baby." Ash exclaimed.

"He may be her kit, but he doesn't have her smell on him anymore. She'd merely push him away, leaving him to starve. Or worse." She didn't extrapolate, and she didn't have to.

"What can we do?" Ash asked in a low voice, pained at Nurse Joy's words.

"I'll take him." I suddenly said, surprising Ash and the nurse. "I am responsible for disturbing the Incineroar, taking her away from her baby and putting him at the mercy of those Team Skull guys." I explained. "It's only fair I take care of the orphaned Litten."

"I guess it makes sense…" Ash slowly said.

"Nurse Joy, do you think I could pet him?" I asked her before she could say anything to counter my decision.

"I'd normally say no." she said, crossing her arms over her chest. "Litten aren't really keen on being touched."

"That remind me of someone," Ash exclaimed, earning a glare from me, yet I thought it best not to tell him what was on my mind, not here, not in front of a Nurse Joy.

"Anyway, I suppose I can let you pet him for a bit as he is asleep." She opened the incubator and I slided my hand into it, gently stroking the soft black and red fur of the Litten's head. I could feel it purring under my touch.

"Will you give him a name?" Ash asked, his hands behind his head.

"I think so." I hummed. "Ouch!" I yelped in pain, quickly removing my hand from the incubator. Apparently Litten hadn't been as asleep as Nurse Joy had thought he was. A drop of blood escaped the small hole that Litten's fangs had dug into the tip of my finger. "Serve me right… The Pokedex do say that they don't trust people easily…" I commented, putting my wounded finger into my mouth. "I expected a scratch though."

"I knew it was going to happen… Here, let me," Nurse Joy said with a chuckle, closing the incubator again and putting my injured limb into some gauze. I winced when she applied the alcoholic solution on the wound in order to clean it.

"The upside is that it gave me an idea for the perfect name for him!" I said with pride as the nurse wrapped my finger in some bandage.

"Andwhat would that be?"

"Sabretooth."


	11. Call for Help

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

11 - Call for help

I found myself back at the Pokemon Center a couple of days after my task with Kahuna Hala. The Alolan Nurse Joy had refused that I take the Litten, Sabertooth as I had nicknamed him, back to Hau'Oli with me, even though I was staying at a Pokemon Center. She claimed it was too weak for a transfert (needless to mention a bike ride) and she wanted to make sure he was all healed from the poison before letting me take him.

"Hello Nurse Joy." I greeted her. She was behind the counter, as could be expected, typing stuff on her computer. Or filing files, I wasn't entirely sure.

"Hello," she answered with a bright smile. "What can I help you with?"

"I am here to fetch Sabretooth." I answered, crossing my arms and laying them on the counter. Had she forgotten all about it?

"Sabertooth..." she repeated. "Oh, you mean the Litten that was in Intensive Care." she exclaimed after a pause and a bit of rummaging through the many documents and papers on the desk. This Nurse Joy wasn't one for organization. Or not tidy organization anyway, I reflected. "My aunt mentioned him."

"I guess she did… Wait, _was_?" I blurted, taken aback by the tense she used. Surely she didn't mean something had befallen him, did she?

"Yes, was." she answered softly. "We moved him out yesterday night. Or rather, my sister did." She picked a piece of paper where unreadable words had been scribbled. "Here! She said that he responds to stimuli, had a rather healthy dinner and drank quite a bit. The night crew states that he didn't throw up and they didn't see anything particular in his feces. They also add that…."

"Alright, I get the point," I quickly interrupted the nurse in her report. I really didn't want to get to the specific of a nurse Joy's job. Not when it was so disgusting. "Could I get him then?"

"Sure," she said. "We just need to register him under your name first."

"Oh? I didn't know about it. I thought it was automatically done." I said, raising a brow.

"That's true." the Nurse agreed with a nod. "There is a function in the Pokeball that automatically tag a Pokemon and link it to a trainer's ID with a specific number. This number is then read when the Pokemon are healed in any Pokemon Center and registered." she explained. It'd seem this one liked her job and to share her knowledge. Or to listen to her own voice. It quite bored me to be honest. "The thing with this Litten is that it's still a bit too weak to be 'caught' in a Pokeball. Which is why I'll have to manually do it here."

"Hm… Ok… I guess?"

"Don't worry, I won't take too long. May I have your ID please?" she asked, handing out her hand to me.

She was right about that. It didn't take too long. Or rather, it'd not have taken too long if she didn't have just made a comment about any answers I gave her. When I finally could leave the Pokemon Center with Sabertooth at my side – he had made it clear that he didn't want me to take him into my arms by baring his sharp fangs – I was running late for the training session that we had planned with Ash and Kiawe.

I found them near the wooden platform where I had first seen Kahuna Hala the day before. Actually, I only found Ash there, training Pikachu and his Rowlet, but Kiawe was nowhere to be found.

"He went for a run," Ash explained. "He said he needed to get his Turtonator's stamina up to use Inferno Overdrive. The Fire Z-Move," Ash added, seeing my look of incomprehension. "Kiawe say that the best way to do it is to run around…"

"Whatever floats his boat." I said with a shrug. "You hear that Sabretooth? One day, _you_ will be the one with the Inferno Overdrive." I added, turning to my new Pokemon and kneeling to brush his forehead. To my delight, he didn't try to bite me. He even purred. It went differently when Ash tried though as he hissed and showed his claws and fangs.

"I guess he doesn't know me well enough." the raven haired boy laughed, though I could hear he was embarrassed. He knelt and waved that rainbow move. "Alola Sabretooth. I am Ash."

Of course, Sabretooth didn't answer and just licked his paw and proceeded to rub it on his head.

"What's that that you do when you say hello?" I asked him. This move had always surprised me when I first saw Professor Kukui doing it.

"Oh, that?" Ash asked, doing the wave again. "People do it as a greeting. It's simple and nice."

"I see…" I said, repeating the move. "Alola." It felt strange and I was sure I was going to great people this way though.

"That's it! You got it right." Ash said with a smile. "Well, I guess Kiawe isn't going to come soon. Would you like to have a battle?" he asked me. "See what Sabretooth is made of."

"I don't think so," I replied, taking Marie and Gaïa out of their Pokeball. "Nurse Joy said Sabretooth was still a bit too weak. Here, meet your new partner." I told my Pokemon. Marie looked interested in the black and red feline, going as far as rub her moist skin against the Litten's soft fur, but Gaïa just looked away.

"She doesn't seem to like him..." Ash commented, stating the obvious.

"Gaïa was my first and only Pokemon for a while." I said, getting up. "She is sort of exclusive. It took her a while to accept Marie, but she did. It'll be the same with Sabertooth. In the mean time, you did speak about a match, didn't you?"

"I sure did!" Ash exclaimed, concern about my Pokemon's getting along forgotten. "Who will you chose?"

"How about Gaïa against your Pikachu?" I suggested. "I want my revenge for that defeat the other day. And so does Gaïa!" To support my claim, my Snivvy walked up, her tail raised and a determined look on her face. Pikachu went on all four, a smirk on his cute yellow face and the same determination in his eyes.

"Have you got your Z-Ring?" Ash asked.

"No, not yet." I admitted. "Kahuna Hala said it'd soon be ready. Now, to know how 'soon' was, he didn't tell me."

"I see. Well, I am not going to use my Z-move then."

I was about to tell him that he could still use his Z-move, as it wasn't going to be a problem. Gaïa was much stronger now than she had been, and it'd not take us by surprise this time around, however I got interrupted by a high-pitched scream. Everyone heard it and it was as if time itself had stopped.

It seemed to erupt from up West and all of us snapped around to the sound. I then looked down at Ash who stare right back at me, puzzled and a bit nervous on what he had heard.

"What was…" But Ash doesn't have time to finish his question as Kiawe seemed to appear from out of nowhere, surprising both Ash and I when he emerged from the dense vegetation.

"Quick! Hurry up! Tapu Koko! The Ruins of Conflict!" he panted heavily, hands on his bare knees. He looked quite distraught. Even frightened. He didn't leave us the time to say anything and dashed back the way he came.

I quickly recalled Gaïa and Marie in their Pokeball while Ash was doing the same with his Rowlet, and I took Sabretooth into my arms, regardless if he liked it or not, I wasn't going to leave him behind. Ash and I made haste after the tanned boy who was running so far ahead from us that we could hardly see him.

The wind blowing on my face wiped the nervous swear off and my heard pounded with a concerning amount of power. I wanted to stop, but my legs new seemed to go on their own. Still, I was relieved when we stopped where Kiawe was impatiently waiting for us. I collapsed onto my knees to catch some much-needed air, letting Sabretooth go, to his deligh.

"Sorry… I … I never ran that fast in _so long_," I panted out.

"Come on," Kiawe said, not paying the least attention that was out of breath. "Kahuna Hala needs help. It's Tapu Koko." he repeated.

"What happened?" Ash asked as I was slowly getting back up. "Where even have you been?"

"It doesn't matter." he quickly answered. He resumed running, but at a pace that we could follow, though I was sure the tall Alolan boy could run much faster than that. Sabretooth leaped onto my shoulder, digging his claws into it, causing me to wince.

"Easy on the claws," I commented, as I caught up to the boys, but Sabretooth just didn't seem to have listened as it didn't move, except to reposition itself and get a better grip. We skidded to a bridge crossing a ravine down below. A bridge that we couldn't take as it dangled from the other side. Kiawe shook his head.

"I can't believe they did that!" He growled.

"And there is no way we can swim," Ash commented, staring down to the river running below.

"Obviously," I snapped. "And we don't have any Flying Pokemon besides your Rowlet. And this little one is _way_ to small to carry _any of us_." I commented.

Kiawe just rolled his eyes at that, earning him a glare from me, that he didn't care at all about. He emitted a low whistle and, from the other side of the ravine, a massive Pokemon made its heavy way out of the forest. Even though I had seen it once or twice, the huge spiked red and yellow turtle was always a sight to see.

"I had asked him to stay and watch." He explained. "I couldn't expect them to destroy the bridge."

"But who is 'them'?" I angrily asked, even though I may have an idea.

"Turtonator," Kiawe called, completely ignoring my question. "smash that tree!" Instead of smashing, the big turtle Pokemon pushed the palm tree to the point it was uprooted and fell down across the ravine. "Good! Now, make sure it doesn't move!"

The Pokemon answered with a booming roar that was enough to shake the trees all around us and wrapped his powerful arms around the tree trunk. Kiawe took a deep breath and carefully began walking on the trunk. Ash and I watched him with heart-wrenched nervousness as he slowly closed into the halfway point. He turned his head to us and nodded.

"Alright Jade, you go first." Ash said, pushing me gently.

I wanted to ask him why he acted all chivalrous all of a sudden and if he was afraid of height, but now wasn't the time for mindless taunt. I slowly placed my foot on the tree trunk, then my other one. From this view point, the end of the make-shift bridged seemed to be rather far away and I gulped, swallowing the saliva that I hadn't noticed I had in my mouth.

"Oh man… I don't like this…" I murmured fearfully. I instinctively extended my arms for balance. Out of instinct, Sabretooth dug his claws a bit more into my shoulders. "Dude.. Do you _have_ to do that right now?" I hissed, more to take my attention of the distance that I'd have to go if my foot was to slip and I was to fall.

I carefully made my away across, looking up to see Kiawe already on the other size, helping his Pokemon to keep the tree from moving. I huffed out a large unsettled breath and continued my treacherous journey on the trunk. I suddenly stopped though when I felt it moving under me.

"It's alright, it's Ash…" Kiawe was saying, when he got interrupted.

"Salandit! Flame Burst!" A voice hollered from somewhere behind Kiawe. My feet froze in place again as a Salandit leaped from the trees that stood behind Kiawe.

"Pika…" But before either Ash's Pikachu or me could do anything productive to prevent the attack, the Pokemon fired a bolt of flames onto the tree Kiawe was holding, making the boy and his Pokemon let go as Turtonator pushed his trainer behind him to protect him.

I couldn't see much else though for the tree buckled under me. I screamed out in pure, undeniable fear as Sabretooth, Ash, his Pikachu and I plummeted down, bodies falling straight to the ravine below. Sabretooth's claws drilled deeper into my skin, but it was the least of my concern now as I faced the water rushing at us at top speed.


	12. Unplanned Rematch

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**12 - Unplanned Rematch**

However I never hit the rushing water. The fall came suddenly to a stop. Sharp talons were now gripping my arms and I looked up to see a Toucannon. And this one was much bigger than I thought Toucannon were. I looked at my left and saw that Ash and Pikachu had been picked up as well. He was broadly smiling and thanking the Toucannon. The bird Pokemon brought us to the other side of the ravine in swift and soft beatings of their wide wings.

"Thank you for the lift." I said in a shaky voice before my knees let go. Once again, I was prevented from hitting the ground, this time by Kiawe who caught me by the arm.

"You alright?" He asked, helping me back up.

"Y… Yeah…" I answered, too shaken to even take my arm out of his strong grasp. "It's just… That type of adrenaline rushes ain't my taste." I sputtered out.

"I doubt anyone would like that." He replied in a calm voice that was so different from the nervous and frightened tone he had earlier. "Ash, you ok?" Kiawe asked, finally releasing my arm.

"Am okay," Ash answered. "And you Pikachu?" His Pokemon answered with a clear 'pika'. I couldn't believe it. That blasted Team Skull member had burned the tree down, we could have flippin' DIED and they didn't seem moved at all…

I huffed some more and ran my hand through my hair, trying to get some composure back. Once I felt enough at ease, I stepped forwards to notice no trace of the Team Skull member. I was sure it was the same I had met the other day. I gritted my teeth.

"Cowards," I spat out in a frustrated grunt, tightening my jacket around my waist. It still was dirty as I couldn't find any places to have it cleaned, and even though I had managed to get rid of most stains, I couldn't get it as clean as I wanted for it to be wearable. So for now, I was keeping it around my waist.

"We must hurry," Kiawe said, agitation back into his voice. "This was just a set back. They will most likely ambush us when they see their trap hadn't worked."

"Kiawe, what is going on?" Ash asked as we were back to running towards the Ruins of Conflict.

"Team Skull." Kiawe finally answered. "They managed to catch Tapu Koko!"

"Wait, how did they manage to do that?" I asked, shouting from behind them. I still was exhausted from the first run and, even though the unexpected fall had sent a rush of adrenaline into my muscles, it still wasn't enough for me to run fast enough to keep up at their level.

"Am not sure. Kahuna Hala spoke of special net used in Pokeball. But he didn't have time to give me the full lecture because he asked me to look for help." Kiawe answered, turning his head half way to face me. "You'll have to ask him if you want some more information.

"How much further is it?" Ash asked, preventing me from retorting.

"Not too far ahead." Unfortunately, we all were forced to a stop when we saw the three Team Skull grunts. They were the three same ones from the other day. Yet they were not alone. At their side was a purple-haired man who had a Mareanie on his shoulder and a pink haired girl with a Mimikyu. The Pokemon was jerking in some sort of anger next to her. At their feet was a Kantonian Meowth.

All seemed focused on what was before them: Tapu Koko, Kahuna Hala and a Hariyama. All three of them were down on the ground, trapped by something that I couldn't comprehend. All I saw that it was it emitted some sort of light. What I could see however was that Kahuna Hala was trying to get out of whatever was keeping him down, all the while talking to his captors.

Those didn't seem to pay him any attention though as they turned to face us. The Mimikyu dashed through the air, an obvious look of hatred into his eyes, as it came towards Pikachu. The yellow Pokemon jumped off of Ash's shoulder to counter the attack with his tail.

"Jade, Kiawe! I'll take care of Team Rocket!" Ash declared. "I know them more than you do!" I raised a brow in confusion but shook my head.

"Now isn't the time," I whispered to myself, turning to the Team Skull grunts. I crossed my arms over my chest, glaring at them, Kiawe standing at my side, his Turtonator towering above us.

"Alright, you stupid dolts. You asked for it." I spat out.

"Woa, woa, woa… Look who is back." The blue haired grunt cackled. "Ain't that the Litten tha' got poisoned? Back for a second round?" I frowned, gritting my teeth and clenching my fist. He was clearly trying to provoke me.

"What about we give a taste of your own medicine?" Kiawe retorted. "Turtonator! Use Smog!"

The massive Pokemon growled a mighty roar, stomping his huge foot down and glaring at our foes. He then released a purple cloud from his tunnel mouth, engulfing the skull grunts.

"Really, pal? That's all ya can do?" I heard them snicker as a strong wind blew the smoke away. It was the girl's Zubat that was fluttering next to her

"Ya dina really think this would work on poison Pokemon, didja?"

"All their Pokemon are poison type," I stated to Kiawe whose cheeks turned slightly red. "Smog or other poison moves wouldn't work on them."

"Oh… Right, I forgot." he stammered.

"Doesn't matter. Marie!" I called, sending my Tympole's Pokeball which opened and let the round Pokemon out. I could feel Gaïa asking to get out, but I wasn't going to risk her to get poisoned. Not if I could help it. "Sabretooth, stay behind me." I added, even though I didn't really need it, the Litten had followed his instinct when he had recognised who those three were and was cowering behind my feet.

"Pathetic," the pink haired girl said, looking down at the hopping Marie.

"If you think so, why not give it a go?" I growled. "I don't see any of your friends' Pokemon out."

"And have ya both take me, two on one? Ttt, am not that stupid," she said with contempt.

"'Side, who said our Pokemon were not out?" the blue haired guy said. "Salandit! Sludge Bomb!" he hollered out. I heard branches breaking and leaves being rustled from somewhere to my left. I turned to look and saw a blackish shape leaping from the trees and spitting a huge ball of purple liquid.

With a swift movement of his tail, Kiawe's Turtonator took Marie out of the Bomb's way, protecting her with his solid and resistant spiky shell. The purple ball crashed against it, splattering droplets all around and emitting a nasty smell. Yet Turtonator didn't seem that bothered by it.

Actually, Kiawe smirked as the spikes on his Pokemon's shell shone into a bright orange light, small sparkles of fire appeared, creating a sort of star of flames that then fired up towards the Salandit. Even though the Pokemon managed to withstand the move, it was still tossed onto the blue haired buffoon who managed to catch it. Served him right when his pal had done the same with Gaïa.

"Big bro!" the pink haired grunt screamed.

"What are ya waitin' for!" He snapped. "Attack them!" He commanded them, furious at this humiliating defeat. She and the fat brown haired male grunt sent their Pokemon, the Zubat flying high above us, and the Garbodor appearing at his trainer's side, just like last time I had encountered them. I cocked my head to the left slightly, a smirk spreading on my face.

"That's it? You really think you'll be able to take us down with those same Pokemon as last time?" I laughed out. "Think again." I added, glaring at them. Marie hadn't been in a battle against a raging Incineroar this time around, she was at top health. And I doubted Kiawe would stand idly aside. The grunt returned my glare, eyebrows twitching with pure rage. "Marie! Use Water Pulse!"

The Tympole hopped on Turtonator's shoulder and his shell to the tip of one of the spikes before spurting a powerful water jet that hit the Zubat hard on the chest, leaving it flying in circle. Clearly it was confused. _THAT was giving them a taste of their own medicine_, I thought with a grin.

"Zubat! Use Poison Fang," its trainer still commanded, hoping it'd obey and hit the correct target. Unfortunately for it, it wasn't flying straight and ended up crashing into the Salandit that had come back to its sense.

"Garbodor! Double Slap!" the third grunt said, preventing me from laughing at what was going on between the Zubat and the Salandit. The long and elastic arms seemed to grow as they aimed at Marie and Turtonator. Fortunately, Turtonator turned in time and caught the sort of hands from the trashy Pokemon into his.

"Well done Turtonator!" Kiawe congratulated his Pokemon. "Now use Flamethrower!" Being taken into the turtle Pokemon's grip, the foe Garbodor would be unable to get away and dodge the fire. Turtonator inhaled deeply and then exhaled, an impressive jet of fire rushing to its unmoving target. When she had felt the increase of temperature, Marie had jumped away from her support. Perfect.

"Marie, use Mud Shot on the Salandit!" I commanded her. She was pleased to obey, raising up dirt with her tail that she humidified and threw at the Salandit. "Bulleyes!" I hollered happily when it landed on the Pokemon's eyes.

"Oh, you think you won?" the girl growled. "Zubat! Let show her what is a real confusion! Confuse Ray!"

"Marie, Bubble Beam!" I called to my Tympole. She swiftly jumped up, yet she was promptly crushed back down by a slender yet powerful black paw. The Salandit! It still had mud on his face, his eyes being hardly more than bright slits under dark mud.

"Not so fast! Didja really think it'd be so easy to defeat us?"

"I do think it'll be easy to defeat _you_!" I growled. "Marie! Water Pulse to the ground!" I commanded her, hoping the confusion hadn't got her too much. For a split second, nothing happened. The next, both she and the Salandit were flying high into the air. "That's my girl!" I yelled happily. "Now spin!" I added.

Using her momentum from her fall back down, Marie rotated on herself, spreading water all around. It was a bit like Water Sport, but with damages. I thought a bit too late that it could be bad for Turtonator's moves when Kiawe yelled about his Pokemon's fire being quenched, his shell and spikes were all wet. At least, it had thrown Salandit down to the ground where it was unmoving now. Hopefully for a while.

_This __is__ getting nowhere!_ I thought, clenching my fists. Behind our opponents, I could see their three prisoners, the Kahuna's enormous shape trying to get up. Yet he didn't seem to be strong enough, for some reason. "We have to free the Kahuna!" I said to Kiawe.

"And what do you think we're trying to do?" he retorted as his Turtonator used his Flamethrower once again on the Garbodor. Unfortunately, Marie's move had lowered its efficiency. Stupid me acting without thinking things through. Again.

"I know!" I impatiently said, feeling bad about Turtonator's less powerful flames. "I was thinking of a combined attack." I whispered my plan to Kiawe.

"Zubat! Poison Fang!" the girl hollered out. Her Pokemon screeches out, flying up then down towards Marie. Once again, she was saved by Turtonator who snatched her away from harm. The Zubat still tried to bite the Pokemon, only to have its fangs broke over the hard shell covering Turtonator's tail.

"Turtonator, Smog!" Kiawe told his Pokemon who turned around and spread a heavy cloud between him and his opponents.

"Again?" the fatty smirked. "Let me show you a real poison cloud. Garbodor! Poison Gas!" I heard him command to his Pokemon. "Garbodor!" He yelled when nothing came out of the trashy Pokemon's 'fingers'. Marie's Mud Shot had worked well, blocking the Garbodor's pipes I thought with a smile as I made my way through the smog to the trapped victims, my nose and mouth covered by my jacket.

"Kahuna!" I whispered excitedly, rushing to them. From up close, I saw what kept the Kahuna, his Hariyama and Tapu Koko to the ground: a sort of net that faintly glowed green. I could see that Hala's attempt had getting out of it hadn't worked, but he still had managed to loosen one of the pegs that kept it pinned in the stony ground. It was up to me to finish the work.

I seized the net with my bare hand. I didn't know what it was made of, but it wasn't pleasant, like several stings on my hands. I was so surprised that I let go of the net. And the Kahuna had to bear that! Well, if he had managed to go through it, I certainly could! I didn't know how much longer Kiawe would be able to distract those three idiots. The mud Marie had sent under cover of Turtonator's smog had worked well as it had prevented the Garbodor from using its moves and it was going to hinder it for a moment. But I had no time to lose.

I took the net again and pulled as hard as I could. That damned thing was really resistant and well anchored, but I could feel it giving way little by little. It was all I could not to let it go though, as the stinging feeling increased and it was as if the net was cutting through my fingers. It was so close, the peg was almost out of the ground, one…. Last… Pull… I thought, my teeth gritted with the effort.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Oh no! That stubborn little… The Salandit that I thought Marie had fainted was still up. And rushing at me, his jaws glowing red. Just as I felt the peg finally giving way, the momentum making me fall backwards, I got pushed aside and something rushed before me.


	13. Desert Guardian

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**13 - Desert Guardian**

I fell hard on my butt. I didn't know who had pushed me down, but whoever it was, they were about to get a piece of my mind. I quickly got back on my feet, rubbing my butt and moving my hand to take Gaïa's Pokeball. The idea of sending her fight against a Fire and Poison type Pokemon didn't please me, but I had no choice. That was when I noticed that there was a problem.

The noise of the battles had gone. Actually, everything had gone. The Ruins of Conflict were a place surrounded by trees and green area. This was more… sandy, I thought with a frown as I knelt down to take a handful of sand. Was that some trick? Had I been hit on the head? I looked up and my eyes were staring at a smiling Elygem.

"Um...Hi?" I tentatively said.

"Gyem~!" It hummed, taking my arm. I was too stunned to fight its grip.

"Hey, what are you-?!" I began to ask, but I couldn't finish my question as it was pulling me onward to some stony construction. When it finally let go of my arms, with a proud cry, as if it had accomplished the mission it had been sent for, I found an old man with gray hair frowning at me. He was slouching, as if the weigh of the entire world was resting on his shoulder. His eyes were sunken and there were dark rings under his eyes as if he hadn't been sleeping in days.

"So, you're the one that Tapu Bulu made me come all this way for." He said in a low and annoyed voice." He stared at him from head to toe. "You're not the type of person that I expected." he bluntly added.

"What are you implying?" I snapped. I hadn't made any comment about his dark pants or his dark jacket that he kept open, revealing a red shirt, or the simple sandals he was wearing.

"What I may or may not be implying is of no importance." he countered with a shrug. "Now, you are certainly wondering…"

"How I got there!" I completed in a harsh voice. "I was in the middle of some important battle until that Elgyem of yours teleported me here." This didn't seem to mean much to him however as he only rubbed his temples and shrugged.

"Two things. First off, that Elgyem isn't mine. And, second, I am Kahuna Nanu. So if I were you, I'd tone it down." he announced in a grumble.

"Kahuna? You're a Kahuna?" I blurted out, taking a step back. I'd never have expected such a man would be a Kahuna.

"That's what I said, miss." He grunted back. "And, as I was saying, if I were you, I wouldn't be all snappy." He turned his jacket and I saw a yellowish insignia. I almost facepalmed. He was also a cop. What did he want from me? I hadn't done anything against the law in Alola and never committed a serious crime back in Unova. So why had he me sent here, in the middle of nowhere?

"I… er… Sorry." I mumbled.

"No need to be." he said. "Neither of us supposed the other would be chosen by Tapu Bulu, so I guess we are even." he went on.

I ran my hand through my hair, staring at him. I didn't know what to answer to this, who was Tapu Bulu nor what was expected of me. All I could think about was the battle I had been snatched away from. I looked around, trying to see the Elgyem again, but it was gone. How was I going to get back there? I didn't even know where I was.

"Sir? Who is Tapu Bulu?" I asked. Kahuna Nanu was looking off into the distance, in the direction of the stones walls. I could see a sort of path leading there.

"You go," he said. "He is waiting for you."

"Who is? Tapu Bulu?" I asked again, not understanding what he was getting at. It must be a dream induced by my fall. I most likely hit my head and nothing of it was real. Or it was the Elgyem's doing.

"You'll see when you get there." he cryptically answered, pointing towards the path.

"Are you insane? I am not going to some unknown place see unknown people." I said. He only raised a brow at this, his glare and frown becoming more intense. There mere actions silenced my words within half a second. Without a word, I nod and ran my hand through my hair again.

"Were I you, I'd hurry. If you were in the middle of an important battle, then there is no time to lose." he said with a smirk. That caused me to race to the sandy pathway, or try to without twisting my ankle. Fortunately, the way seemed to be made of stone and I easily reached the center of the… Whatever it was.

The path had taken me between two huge natural constructions in the middle of what looked like a desert. No tree or green to be seen, rather sand, sand, and more sand. And sun. I quite welcomed the shade the walls brought. It still was rather warm though and I sincerely hoped I wasn't going to get sunburns.

In the middle of the 'place', there was a black colored Pokemon floating a few feet above the desert floor, multicolored sparkles of light that could hardly been seen emanated from its body. There were white markings on his torso and on the edge of its big red horns. His hoove-like hands almost joined over his chest and he had a golden bell-like tail and a white nose ring. It appeared to be sleeping on a large rock. At least, it was unmoving as I made my way to it.

It felt eerie, walking in that desert place. With Kahuna Nanu out of sight, I could very well be all alone in the world, the last human left on the planet. Even the wind that had been ruffling through my hair seemed to have stopped. But if it was a dream, it wasn't pleasant and I wished I'd wake up soon.

I was only a few steps away from the Pokemon. Coming close, it was much bigger than me, about a head or so taller. Its skin seemed to be made of wood or of some natural material. I extended my shaking hand, wanting to touch it and yet, at the same time, not sure it was a good idea to do that. Out of a sudden, it opened its eyes and they stared at me. It seemed they bored to my very heart and soul and it was as if the Pokemon… The guardian, knew me inside out.

We stood there for what felt like eternity. Neither of us moving. I feared that, if I moved or if I said anything, I'd ruin the moment. Slowly, Tapu Bulu extended his right arm. Something left his hoof-like hand and floated in my direction. I watched in awe as the pristine white Z-Ring came tome, a small sparkle of green light shining almost invisible under the hot sun of the desert.

"Is it… You want me to…?" I muttered with amazement in my voice. But Tapu Bulu didn't answer. He only kept watching me, as if judging what I was going to do. Slowly, I took the Z-Ring and slipped it on my wrist, all the while keeping my eyes on the Guardian. And then a flash of light engulfed me and half blinded me.

When I opened my eyes again, I had to close them right away as purple cloud was engulfing me. I coughed, trying to get back up. Apparently, I had woken up from my slumber and was back in the battle.

"Marie!" I called, remembering what had happened before I… left? Fell asleep? Pokemon were roaring from pain or anger, I couldn't be sure of what was going on as I fumbled to find my way out of the thick cloud. I felt a hand catching me and pulling me away. I gasped and inhaled a puff of fresh air.

"Thank you for the save here," I said to Hariyama.

"I could tell you the same." A deep voice answered me. At the side of the huge Pokemon stood his equally huge trainer. "You managed to free Tapu Koko and he is now dealing with his tormentors." Kahuna Hala explained. I turned around, yet still didn't manage to see much, even though the cloud was slowly dissipating.

"Say, Kahuna Hala, do you know someone named Nanu?" I asked him, showing him my wrist were the Z-Ring was, a green Z crystal in the middle.

A shiny golden bell attached to the restaurant's door jingled when a customer entered. We were all seated at a wide round table and Ash was being the center of attention. I felt a bit embarrassed as he was speaking much too loud to my taste and even unknown people were listening to him.

"And then, everything went Kaboom!" he said, gesturing with his hand to mimic the explosion. "There were smoke all over the battlefield and I couldn't see those Team Rocket guys."

"That was the Garbodor." Kiawe said after he had swallowed the last of his steak. "Jade's Tympole had clogged its pipes, and its trainer still had commanded it to use Poison Gas. It had to be released one way or another."

Marie croaked when she head her name being mentioned. After the battle, once we were sure that neither Team Skull members nor Team Rocket (whoever they were) remained in the Ruins of Conflicts and that Tapu Koko was doing alright, we had come to Mallow's family restaurant where she was helping her father. As it happened, Lillie, Lana and Sophocles had been there too and, while we have been waiting for the food to get prepared, Ash had decided to tell everything that had happened to us.

"Anyway, I asked Rowlet to get rid of the smoke. And that's when I saw Tapu Koko. He was standing in the middle of the battle."

"Yeah, I had released him from his trap." I said once I had swallowed the fries I had in my mouth.

"True." Ash agreed with a nod. "And after that, he came to me and pointed at my Z-Ring." He raised his fist so that everyone could see the thing around his wrist, the yellow jewel in the middle clearly visible. "He wanted me and Pikachu to use my Z move. And so we did!"

"Pikachu!" the yellow mouse proudly added. He had ketchup stains all around his mouth and I rolled my eyes at that display of pride.

"And then?" Sophocles asked.

"Then they were gone!" Ash lamely concluded.

"After that, Toucannon arrived," I said. "Maybe they were answering Tapu Koko's call, or something. Four Toucannon fluttered above us, ready to offer us a free ride home." I added with a laugh. "It was really fun this time around."

"Yeah… You didn't seem quite pleased the first time." Kiawe chimed in, earning a glare from me.

"The first time, I didn't even know I'd be carried around by a Toucannon," I countered. "And you were just standing aside."

"It doesn't mean that I wasn't worried when I saw you both falling from the tree. Trust me, I was about to jump down!"

"It'd have been foolish." Lana said. "You'd merely have been another casualty if you had done that. What your little sister would have thought of that?" she went on. That seemed to hit Kiawe really hard. I never thought Lana, the quiet and discreet blue haired girl, could be that harsh. I didn't even know he had a sister. The tall teenager blushed under his tan and looked down.

"She'd have been sad," he admitted. "And worried too."

"You sister, what is she like?" I asked.

"She is the cutest thing you can imagine!" Kiawe answered. "The thing is… She is growing up and getting really bold when she works on the farm. She could get hurt…"

"With a big brother like you? I doubt it'd happen!" Mallow exclaimed, smiling broadly. She was serving some customers that were sitting not far from us and had heard Kiawe. "You'll teach her everything you know and will protect her to the end." This brought a smile to Kiawe's lips.

"Say, Jade! When did Kahuna Hala gave this ring to you?" Ash asked, pointing at my own wrist as I was drinking my glass of fruit punch. "I saw you talking to him."

"You're quite observant," I said with some irony. "But no. He didn't give it to me. I was asking him when would my Grand Trial be because I couldn't wait. And he said he couldn't either."

"So, where did you get it? And the jewel?"

"Actually…" I started with a cryptic grin, remembering what Kahuna Hala had told me, "I got them from a Pokemon that you'll all know about soon enough."


	14. Uneggspected gift

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever own them.**

**This chapter was to be published on december 5th, the day my friend created her character. Of course, it's not today, but I decided to keep it.**

**14 - Uneggspected gift**

"Nice shot Sabretooth!" I hollered out in a proud, elated tone when my recently caught Litten pounced right out of the way of Pikachu's Electro Ball. Sabretooth meowed happily, baring his sharp fangs as he positioned himself for some more training with Ash at the Pokemon School.

"Alright Ash! It's time for _you_ to experience some fire power!" I called out to him, slamming my two fists together. "Sabretooth! Ember!" My battle against Kahuna Hala was soon to come and I wanted all my Pokemon to be ready for it. Since Nurse Joy had given me the green light to train Sabretooth, I decided to focus on him and Ash had more than happily volunteered to be our opponent with his Pikachu. "Use Ember!"

"Mrow!" Sabretooth roared, inhaling deeply before releasing a small but quick flame ball.

"Pikachu, dodge with Quick Attack!" Ash commanded his trusty partner who dashed in a zig-zag pattern towards Sabretooth, dodging every fire attacks that he cast.

"Sabretooth, Bite!" I quickly said before my Pokemon's opponent could hit him. My Litten swiftly leaped up over Pikachu in attempt to chomp his sharp fangs onto the yellow Mouse Pokemon.

"Alright Pikachu! Thunderbolt 'em!" Ash shouted back. Pikachu spinned on his tiny feet to face Sabretooth before leaping into the air just as Sabretooth had done. Darn, I growled under my breath. As he was falling down, it wouldn't be possible for my Litten to dodge it this time around. Pikachu had a toothy smirk as he launched a Thunderbolt right onto my Pokemon. Sabretooth roared out in pain; back arched while being electrocuted. Pikachu then landed on his four feet with his electric sacs crackling while Sabretooth crashed, causing me to gasp. Yet, he struggled to get back up, his little paws shaking and I could hear his heavy breathing all the while. I eyed Ash and slowly nodded.

"Alright. That's enough for now, Sabretooth." I said after Ash had nodded back. Sabretooth hissed in dismay but collapsed onto his stomach in exhaustion. With a smile, I went to the middle of the small battlefield and lifted him into my arms as Pikachu was racing back to his trainer who was joining me.

"That was somethin' else, Sabretooth." I congratulated my Pokemon, quickly ruffling his furry head which earned me a hiss. Sabretooth was quite spirited and if he had come to let me carry him, he still wasn't that used to petting. "Both the battle itself and your skill in it. You're gettin' _real good_!" I added with a smirk. Sabretooth looked up to me, weakly meowing. He then curled up into a ball in my arms, moving slightly to adjust into a comfortable position. I giggled at this since his warm, fuzzy fur tickled the inside of my arm that he was nuzzling.

"That was a lot of fun!" Ash exclaimed once he was close enough. "Your Litten is really strong. Will you use him for your Grand Trial?" he asked.

"I am not sure yet." I answered him as we left the battlefield. "I am more familiar with Gaïa and Marie as I have had them for much longer, yet using my first Alolan Pokemon for my first Grand Trial does sound cool." I'd need to make my mind soon though, if I wanted to devise a good strategy to win. And I also needed to include a Z-move into it, I thought, eyeing at my Z-Ring.

"What about your Z-move?" Ash said, as if he was reading my thoughts, though he probably just followed my glance to my wrist.

"Well, so far I only have a Normalium Z and a Grassium Z." I listed. "If I were to use the Grassium Z, it means that I'd use Gaïa as she's the only one in my team to know grass type moves. On the other hand, if I chose to use the Normalium Z, then Sabretooth would be on the field." I mused. Either Gaïa or Sabretooth. I knew that if I were to chose one over the other, the 'left behind' one wouldn't like it one bit. "The easiest option would be to pick these two for the Grand Trial, but I wanted to give Marie her chance to shine. Plus, she deserves it, she had been really great in the battle at the Ruins of Conflicts." I said out loud, though it was more for myself than for Ash. Who wasn't listening to me anyway as he made wide gestures towards the sky.

"Hey, hey!" he screamed. "Look, Kiawe is coming!" He almost gripped my arm, but a Bite from Sabretooth prevented him to. I was glad that he had done it, though I grimaced as he had dug his claws into my bare arm in the process.

"Yes, I saw." I replied between gritted teeth as Sabretooth jumped down. Three red bleeding marks decorated my forearm. I took a small tissue from my jeans pocket and applied it on the wound as the shadow of an enormous flying creature was increasing.

"Alola!" Kiawe greeted us as Ash and I went to him after his Charizard had landed in a noisy boom.

"Alola." I greeted back, doing that gesture Ash had showed me the other day. "It's a great day to fly," I hummed. I rested my hand on Charizard's head and petted it, to the Pokemon's pleasure. I could hear a low rumble coming from his wide chest. Good thing that Gaïa had decided to remain inside the classroom with Marie to rest after her own training, she'd certainly had been jealous if she had seen me petting a Pokemon that wasn't mine. Or her.

"Agreed! The sun is shining bright and there isn't too much wind." the tall and tanned teenager answered, not taking my hint. "Ash, I need to see Mr. Oak, do you know where he is?" That's when I noticed that there was a sort of package on Charizard's back. I couldn't make out what it was as it was completely covered by a dark green cloth. All I could see is that it was cylindrical. And that Kiawe handled it with care when he took it off his Pokemon.

"Probably in his office. Why? What is it?" Ash asked, as curious as I was.

"I have been asked to bring this to him," Kiawe answered evasively. It didn't seem to be heavy for the islander when he placed it under his arm. Yet again, Kiawe was rather strong. "It might be for our next class." he supposed.

"Can't we go with you?" I said, going after the tanned boy, Ash walking besides me. It was quite clear we both wanted to know what was this mystery class subject. "I won't be in class with you to study it," I added. "I think the headmaster won't mind if I take a peek, would he?" I said with a broad smile.

It was one of those times I should have kept my mouth shut. Just as I pronounced those words, a laugh could be heard from behind Kiawe (actually, the front of him, as he had his back turned to us).

"Do I hear some curious people?" It was the first time I heard it. It came from a middle aged and tanned man (still not as dark as Kiawe) with long greyish white hair that reached his shoulder-blades. "People talking about taking a peek? Like a Pikipek?" I'd not be able to describe how he did it, but he managed to imitate the round eyes and feather cut of the Pokemon he just had mentioned.

And while I was watching this, gaping, I found myself enrolled for next class and stuck on a school seat they had brought in just for me. My seat and table were right next to Mallow's and she had been ecstatic to see that I was in here when she had entered the classroom and I was sure that, had I let her, she'd have hugged me.

"Alright, class. Sit down." Professor Kukui said as he entered the class. He had the package Kiawe had brought and placed it on his desk. I was once again surprised. Even when he actually was teaching, the professor was bare-chested, with only his lab coat to cover his torso and the same sort of gray Bermuda shorts I saw him wearing the day I met him. My teachers back in Unova would have had a heart attack if they were to see that. "I am pleased to see we have a new student." he went on with a smile when he saw me.

"Temporary," I grumped under my breath.

"I still believe you'll find it interesting." Kukui said without losing his smile. "Now, as you know, a few weeks ago, Mr. Oak and I had asked you to pick up an egg that you'd take care of. You had chosen the white one and Lillie had successfully managed to have it to hatch into the beautiful Vulpix it is now."

I turned around to look at Lillie whose usually fair skin had turned to be bright red. The snow white Pokemon that I had seen her with was resting at her feet, unmoved at all to be the center of attention.

"It also had a quite unexpected though amazing side effect in the sense that you now don't fear touching Pokemon."

That took me by surprise. Lillie's red cheeks took on an even reddish shade. Now I thought back about it, it was true that I had never seen her touching any Pokemon except her Vulpix and she had seemed to use it at protection whenever Gaïa or Marie had come near her.

"I still do…" she countered in a weak voice. "Except for Snowy." I cocked my head, brow raised.

"Snowy?" I repeated with a sneer. What sort of kiddish nickname was that?

"Yes Jade? Do you have something to say?" Professor's Kukui sternly intervened. I quickly turned around and ran my hand through my straight shiny midnight hair, laughing nervously. I didn't look at the professor in the eyes.

"Well… I said that because I… It's my own personal opinion… think that she could have been a bit more… creative?" I explained. "But it's your Pokemon," I added fast, turning to Lillie again. "You chose it and Snowy likes it too. And that's all that matter, really." I showed her my most sincere smile and she smiled back.

"That's better." Professor Kukui approved and I let go a sigh. What did you have to do to avoid a rich-kid's wrath… "Now, I hope you remember what Snowy," I felt Kukui's eyes on me when he emphasize on the Pokemon's name, "'s egg looked like. Because I would like you to tell me," he removed the cloth that kept the package hidden, "what are the difference between Snowy's egg and this one."

"It's a Rufflet Egg!" I exclaimed when I laid my eyes on the incubator.

"How did you know…?" Lillie blurted out.

"Don't you guys remember that I am from _Unova_?" I reminded them with a toothy smirk. "Plus, we had studied Pokemon eggs back when I was in school _there_."

"Alright Jade, you guessed the species correctly. Now, can you tell me the difference between this Rufflet Egg and an Alolan Vulpix'?" Professor Kukui asked.

It was my turn to turn red. And I turned even redder, just like Lillie had, when my pokegear's ringtone rang in the classroom. I had totally forgotten about that.

"I am sorry," I mumbled and ran to the door. It was mom and dad.

"He…"

"SURPRISE! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" My greeting was cut short by a loud elated shout and giggle with some bangs from firecrackers.

"You didn't think we'd have forgotten, did you?" Dad was saying with a big smile that was reflected by my mother and the entire gang around him. "It's your eighteenth birthday today."

"He he," I grinned, "thank you. And no, I haven't forgotten. I just got… caught up with things…" I wasn't going to tell them that I actually was _at school_. They'd not understand what I was doing here, and I'd not know how to explain it to them when _I_ didn't understand how I got here. "I was going to call you later."

"But we did it first!" Mom retorted. "I baked you a cake, what do you think?" She moved the camera of the Pokegear to the table where a huge cake was. It was decorated like a straight road except that the end of it was raising into the air as a springboard. On the opposite side was a bike probably made of sugar. And, on the 'concrete', they had written '18' in green. I was drooling just by seeing it.

"I think I'd love to have a piece." I said. "You'll keep one for me?" I half joked.

"Of course dear. We'll put it next to your birthday gifts." Dad answered, turning the camera to a corner of the table that was covered in shiny paper wrapped boxes and items.

"Erm…" A fake cough at my ear reminded me where I was.

"Sorry dad, mom, I have to go. I appreciate the thought. I'll call you soon." I said before hanging up. "I apologize Professor."

"It's alright," he said with a smile, taking me back inside the classroom. "You hadn't quite planed to be in class today. Your friends had managed to find every differences between the two eggs." Indeed, on the blackboard was two lists, with things like the color, the temperature and the markings, I was reading, as I sat down at 'my' desk. For some reason, they had left the container on it.

There was something strange going on as, instead of resuming the lesson, Professor Kukui kept looking at me. Actually, all eyes were on me, I noticed when I looked around.

"What's going on? Is there something on my face?" I asked.

"Well, it happens that we heard it's your birthday," Mallow said. _Oh dear… Of course they had heard… _

"Your _eighteenth_ birthday," Lana precised.

"I didn't know you were that old!" Ash rudely commented with a smile. Happily, Lana was the one to smack him on the head before I could do it, sending his red cap flying away to Pikachu who put it on his own head.

"Anyway, we thought that, as you rightly guessed the species of the Pokemon…" Sophocles said,

"… and as you rightfully pointed out that you are from Unova," Kiawe continued.

"… and as it's your birthday, we thought you were the correct person to take care of this egg." Lillie finished.

"WHAT?" I shouted, surprised. I didn't expect this at all. "Oh guys… Thank you _so much_ for letting me have it." I wrapped my arms around the container and laid my head on the top.

"Have you thought of a creative nickname for it?" Lillie asked, with a glare (or rather, as much of a glare such a sweet girl could do).

"As a matter of fact, I do." I answered. "Justice."

"Justice? What if it's a girl?" Lana asked, tilting her head.

"Rufflet are rarely female. And from what I have read, Rufflet and Braviary are Pokemon that want Justice, so why not nickname 'em 'Justice', no matter what gender it has?" I ask rhetorically with a smile.

"Actually, that's not entirely true." Professor Kukui said.

"Rufflets are rather reckless and don't hesitate to take on even massive and strong opponent. It's ready to pick a fight with anyone, even their own parents in order to gain their acceptance." A high pitched artificial voice said. From up above Ash, a reddish… thing? came floating down and stopped right before my round eyes.

"Jade, meet Rotom Dex."

"Huh… Hi?" I tentatively said. "I still am not changing my Rufflet's nickname." I added.

"We're not asking you to," Professor Kukui lightly said. "After all, it's your Pokemon and you chose this name. So if you Pokemon likes it too, that's all that matter." He concluded with a wink at me, making me blush hard and everyone else gave a hearty laugh that I couldn't help but join, in spite of my embarrassment.

**Note: I know that, in game, Rufflet and Braviary are always male. Yet if it works in a game, in a more 'realistic' world, it can't, so I changed it to the fact that female Rufflet/Braviary are rare though they exist.**


	15. First Grand Trial (p1)

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**I had to cut the chapter into two parts as it was much too long (over 3,500 words) compared to the 2,300 words (or so) I try to have for these chapters.**

**First Grand T****rial**

**part 1**

"Thank you for taking me to the Ruins of Conflict, Kahuna Hala." I tell my soon-to-be-opponent as we make our way back over the recontructed rope bridge that had been cut the other day. Today is the day for my Grand Trial and I had asked the Kahuna if I could come here to ask for Tapu Koko's blessing. In truth, I wanted to see how the Island Guardian was doing after the fight against Team Skull and that other Team whose name I couldn't remember. I also had asked Kahuna Hala if he knew what they were trying to achieve for I couldn't believe they _really_ thought they could catch Tapu Koko. He had suggested that there may have been something valuable for them to gain in return for the attempt, but he couldn't fathom what.

"My pleasure, Jade." he replied. "I have to say that I am surprised that Tapu Koko didn't answer to your prayer." He went on, voicing my own disappointment. "It did so to Ash." He added, almost absentmindedly. So absentmindedly that he didn't even seem to listen to my gasp of surprise at his announcement but instead spoke more. "On the other hand, you got your Z-Ring from Tapu Bulu, so I suppose it didn't want to bless its fellow guardian's protege."

"Yes, I suppose," I mumbled, nodding in agreement, though I couldn't help but feel disappointed. And some resentment too. Ash had never told me that Tapu Koko had given him his blessing. In a way, it came as a surprise given that Ash sometime didn't seem to have a filter. And especially for such a case.

"You seem upset, Jade." Kahuna Hala said, kicking me out of my own thought. Looking up, I saw that his eyebrows had narrowed a bit.

"You can say that," I admitted.

"And why is that?" He asked in a gentle voice. "Is it because of Ash?"

"And his blessing, yes." I answered quietly, looking down at my wrist and the Z-Ring around it. The Kahuna smiled and placed his large tanned hand on my shoulder. I didn't shiver or get tense this time.

"Jade, it certainly is a great honor for anyone to receive our guardian's blessing, don't get me wrong. But the guardians follow their own path. You shouldn't consider the absence of his calling as a sign of disapproval. I am sure that Tapu Koko still heard you." He assured me with a warm smile. I cracked a faint smile at this.

"Thanks." I replied. The tone in my voice still hinted much disappointment, but I managed to get most of it under control and Kahuna Hala laughed jollily.

"Don't dwell on it," he advised me as we reached the outskirts of Iki Town and the town square where our battle will take place.

Once there, I found a major surprise that I didn't expect. Huddled in a small circle are Ash, his classmates and Professor Kukui and all seemed to be talking about something exciting. I knew that people would come to witness the Grand Trial, Kahuna Hala told me there always were attendance to these, but I didn't expect they'd come too. My curiosity being stricken I decided to go to ask them why they were even here in the first place.

"Turta!" Kiawe's massive Turtonator 'spoke' out in its deep voice, catching everyone's attention who took a quick look at him before turning around to me.

"Hey, I thought you had class today!" I said as I got near them.

"And they do. I thought it'd be a nice idea to take them here to watch someone from another region battling." Professor Kukui explained.

"Where is the egg?" Lanna asked. "You didn't lose it, did you?"

"I left it at the Pokemon Center," I informed them. "I feared I could break it so I asked Nurse Joy if she could watch over it while I was having my Grand Trial."

"How was the ritual?" Ash asked with a wave of his hand.

"Could have been better," I replied shortly, shrugging my shoulders. "And don't you think you had forgotten to tell me something?" I added, frowning.

"What do you mean?" He blurted, his elated voice had morphed into a rather light one. I narrowed my eyes.

"You never told me that Tapu Koko gave you its blessing," I growled, my face only half an inch from his.

"Sorry," he quickly said with a sheepish laugh, taking a step back and rubbing the back of his head. "I guess I… forgot?"

"So, shall we begin?" Kahuna Hala intervened before I could give Ash a piece of my mind about withholding information. With a stretch of my arms, I turned to face Hala.

"Yes!" I hollered loudly so that I was sure I had everyone's attention. "Let's start!"

"Awesome!" He made his way to the wooden platform as I went to Mallow and gave her one of my Pokeball.

"Hey, would you mind to look after Gaïa?" I asked her. "I am not battling with her this time around." I informed them. Hardly had I spoken those words that my Snivy decided to leave her Pokeball. But instead of appearing on my shoulder or in my arms, she was in Mallow's, to everyone's astonishment.

"Are you sure?" Lillie said with a worried tone. "I'd have thought you'd want to have Gaïa for your first Grand Trial."

"Well, Lillie, none of my Pokemon have an advantage against Kahuna Hala's Pokemon. And as Sabretooth is new to the team, I wanted to see how he managed in a real battle. And as for Marie… I guess she sorta won her place in the battle when she helped defend Tapu Koko."

"You seriously thought that?" Mallow exclaimed. I didn't answer but ran my hands through my hair as I laughed nervously. Of course they thought my reasons were foolish. "Jade, you shouldn't base your choices on such things." Mallow sighed.

"Yeah. We're taught that victory and loses are more about type matching and skills in certain situation." Sophocles said in a dogmatic voice.

"And that's what I have been taught too," I nodded. "Yet, I am still sticking to my choice. And don't worry, it won't be for nothing." I ensured them with a wink before I proceeded to walk to the wooden structure where the Kahuna had been patiently waiting for me. The group hustled away a bit so they were in a safe range and yet close enough to witness the oncoming battle and receive every ounce of excitement. When I am on my side of the field, Kahuna Hala pointed at Kiawe.

"You're the grandson of Akala Island's former Kahuna, aren't you?"

"Yes." Kiawe nodded. I was taken aback by this news. I had no idea that Kiawe was related to a Kahuna. I thought he only was a delivery boy, I thought, staring at him wide eyed.

"Would you like to be our referee for this battle?"

"Who? Me?" Kiawe asked, pointing at himself, causing Hala to nod his approval. "Yes, I'd be honored." He said with a bright smile, almost running to the referee place in one side of the field, between the Kahuna and me. With a nod of approval and what I presumed to be a good luck sign, he raised his hand to the sky.

"Attention!" He announced with a booming voice. "The Grand Trial with Jade from Unova and Kahuna Hala of Melemele Island will now begin. It'll be a two-on-two battle and it'll end when two Pokemon on one side are unable to continue. Let the battle… begin!" He declared.

I quickly swiped one of my Pokeball with a grin.

"Alright! Let's get this party started! Marie!" I shouted, tossing her ball into the air. Marie croaked out happily when she appeared in mid-air. She did a vertical flip while airborne, she landed on the ground and happily hopped, eagerly awaiting Hala's Pokemon.

"Crabrawler, come out!" He shouted with a happy and confident smirk on his face. When his Pokemon, a blue crab with large boxing gloves shaped fists moved side to side. It punched those massive fists in a rapid pace. And I did the same, punching my right hand as a fist onto the palm of my left hand. We weren't going to get flustered by this. I had made my researches on Alola's fighting Pokemon and if I could have thought Crabrawler was also a water type, I knew it was only fighting.

"Alright, Marie! Start it off with a bang! Bubblebeam."

"Counter with your own Bubblebeam, Crabrawler!" Hala hollered out. Marie flipped up and shot out dense bubbles that the Crabrawler managed to nullify with its own, just like what its trainer had asked.

"Use Facade!"

"Block and use Power-Up Punch!" Hala fired out at the same time I should my command, thrusting his hand outwards.

Following my order, Marie surrounded herself with a white energy aura and attacked when she was completely covered in that aura. She moved left and right as if to feint her opponent then pounced on the Crabrawler. To my surprise, it blocked her attack, seemingly with ease and taking zero damage. And, following its master's instruction, he countered with a Power-Up Punch, launching Marie across the wooden square battlefield and to my feet. It then hustled backwards, its glare focused on my Tympole and its skin (or shell) on its fists glowing red for a split second.

Attack increase.

"Damn it!" I shouted out. "Marie, you alright girl?" I asked my little Pokemon, kneeling to her. With a jitter, she returned to her attack stance, vibrating the cups on her cheeks as a growl to taunt Crabrawler. I was pleased to see she wasn't done yet. "Alright, nice endurance there, Marie." I congratulated her. "Now let's keep this offense up. Water Pulse." I boomed out happily. With a bit of luck, it'd be confused.

Marie quickly formed and launched a Water Pulse. Yet, once again, it doesn't do any damage as the Crabrawler jumped right on time. Gritting my teeth, I yelled for Marie to charge. She leaped off her stomach and hopped rapidly to her opponent. I could see Kahuna raising a brow. He surely hadn't expected this.

"Power-Up Punch again!" he commanded his Pokemon.

"Marie! Mud Shot onto its face!" I yelled. Just like during our training when we thought about this tactic that had come to be one of my favorite to use with my Pokemon, Marie bounced off of her tail. She used the momentum to launch herself into the air with the bonus of dodging the attack-increased Pokemon's punch. With a grin, my Tympole fired blobs of mud, yet Hala called for a Bubblebeam to cancel it. Of course, it worked. Perfectly.

"Facade! With full strength!" I shouted out as white puffs of smoke appeared from the collision between the mud and the bubbles, blinding me for a few seconds.

When a gentle breeze blew the white smoke away, I could see that Crabrawler had its Brutal Swing attack prepared. Unfortunately for it, Marie had the momentum of her fall on her side and she could strike fist. The impact caused Crabrawler to be crushed down into the wood where it remained still.

"Get up!" Hala commanded.

"Not this time!" I said as Marie landed near the dazed boxing Pokemon. "Water Pulse!"

"Pole!" Marie answered, quickly launching an orb of water that looked much denser than before. The battle certainly had her determination rose up to its maximum as well as her battling spirit. Even though Crabrawler was fighting to get out of the hole and stand on its little feet, it was too late and it got hit full force.

"Brawl…" it moaned as it landed on Hala's feet. Kiawe took a second to assess the situation and lifted his hand up. He directed it at me.

"Crabrawler is unable to battle." He announced. "Tympole is the winner!"

"Awesome! Yes!" I celebrated. "We rocked that one hard, Marie!" She leaped into my arms and I spinned her around then nuzzled her vibration cups that… vibrated on my cheeks, like a purr.

"Well done," Hala said, clapping his hands. "I see your Pokemon have some spirit! Yet, that won't win you the battle. Hariyama, you're next." Hala tossed the Pokeball of what I believed to be the 'star of his team'. Hariyama landed on the intact part of the wooden square battlefield with a bang from its massive bulky body. To be honest, I was surprised the wood hadn't cracked under the weigh. Marie trembled a bit when she noticed the huge Pokemon's glare on her.

"Pole…" she whined, not looking so sure of herself.

"Don't worry about the size," I said to reassure her. Or try to anyway. "We're still gonna win this! Use Mud Shot." I commanded with an ever so slight shaky tone of voice. I had to admit that I wasn't very thrilled about the gigantic stature of the opponent either.

"Hariyama! Fake Out. Then, Knock Off!" Hala shouted. Effortlessly, the fighting type Pokemon clapped his hand, just like his trainer had done a few moment before. The air from the clap sprayed the mud away. Not only that, but Hariyama's disturbingly massive hands caught Marie who was in mid-air and chucked her down into the wood. A loud crack rang through the square and when Hala's Hariyama opened its hand, I could see that Marie had fainted.

"Tympole is unable to battle!" Kiawe announced firmly. "Hariyama wins." With a slow nod and a small smile, I returned Marie to her Pokeball.

"Nice job, my girl. That was somethin' else." I said in a scared whisper. Slowly, I took out my remaining Pokeball and chucked it. Once he was revealed, Sabretooth puffed out his furry chest with ahiss from its sharp teeth. The tip of his fur on his back flared up and simmered with heat.

"Looks like this Litten is asking for some battle." Hala said with a grin. "Let's see what it's made of. Hariyama! Knock Off!"


	16. First Grand Trial (p2)

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**I had to cut the chapter into two parts as it was much too long (over 3,500 words) compared to the 2,300 words (or so) I try to have for these chapters.**

**First Grand T****rial**

**part 2**

"Hariyama! Knock Off!" Kahuna Hala commanded his enormous Pokemon.

"Flame Charge, Sabretooth!" I boomed out, opening my palm for drama reason. Sabretooth roared out a fierce, yet cute, battle cry, cloaking himself in flames and, with a launch of its back legs, charged towards Hariyama.

"Move to the side." Hala commanded his Pokemon. Surprisingly swift for a Pokemon its size, Hariyama shifted, catching me off-guard. How in the world could a bulky Pokemon like this one move so effortlessly? Of course, Sabretooth missed his target and yet he still managed to land on his four paws, to my relief. He turned around just when Hariyama's hand was cocked back.

"Sabretooth, jump!" I shouted, my heard beating fast in my chest. Fortunately, my Litten was able to jump high enough to miss the beginning of the move. "Now, Ember!" I commanded with a swipe of my arm to the side. But, to my utter shock, Hariyama literally just stood in its place, unfazed, even though it was hit by the flames. It didn't seem to do any damage. Could this Hariyama have Thick Fat? I'd not be surprised… Damn, I swore inwardly. I hadn't thought about that fact. That wasn't good.

"Arm Thrust!" Hala fired off as the smoke surrounded his Pokemon. I watched Sabretooth being pummeled by the flat enormous hands of our opponent the second my Litten was landing on his feet. With each of the four blows that landed on him, Sabretooth shrieked out in pain, and I winced at each of them. I didn't know how, but Sabretooth managed to get away when the Hariyama was raising its hands for the fifth time and tumbled across the battlefield.

"Mrow…" He hissed, struggling to remain standing up. I gritted my teeth when I looked at the Kahuna.

"As you can see, my Hariyama was trained much farther than what you're used to, Jade." he laughed. "And let me add, this is why I will be victorious."

"I hope you wrote those words down!" I sneered back, hiding my panic as much as I could. I knew that losing wouldn't be a shame. Yet this was my first Grand Trial, I didn't want to lose it. "So you can look at them once I defeated you!" I hoped the Kahuna wouldn't see through my show of bravado. "Flame Charge!" I commanded my Litten.

"Mrow!" Sabretooth roared, setting his fur ablaze once again.

"Knock Off!" Hala simply said with a smirk.

"Dodge by rotating your body to the left!" I commanded, trying as much as possible to hide my frightened tone. This battle was much too nerve wrecking for my taste: Marie had been taken out with one blow, now Sabretooth was nearing the limit of his stamina and that last command I had given Sabretooth had been one of the last moves we had trained.

_All I need to do for my plan to work is to get another Flame Charge off after this one_, I reflected, trying to muster the most reassuring voice I knew. Strangely, it sounded like my dad's tone of voice. I almost bit my lip as I watched Sabretooth slipping by the Hariyama, flipping around and nailing his sharp claws into the huge Pokemon's back. It only stumbled two steps though and turned its head to Sabretooth.

"Belly Drum!"

"Flame Charge around him!" I yelled out with confidence that I wasn't sure to feel. But it was enough for Sabretooth as he inhaled a large breath and sped around Hariyama. Of course, it didn't do as much damage as I expected, I thought, as I watched the Kahuna Hala's Pokemon pounding its massive waist, increasing its fighting spirit to the absolute limit. The wide belly showed black stains of burned flesh, yet nothing major. It certainly had Thick Fat. Somewhere, in the back of my mind, was the picture of Gaïa smirking proudly, as if saying I should have chosen her. I shook my head, now wasn't the time for that. I had to concentrate on the trial!

_He's showing no mercy!_ I thought, an icy feeling spreading down my guts even though the weather was warm and the temperature had increased after Sabretooth's repeated use of fire moves. Wait… Burn… I looked down around the Hariyama and an idea sprang into my mind. Well, if I couldn't burn the Pokemon himself… _Oh man, I hope this will work. _Sabretooth quickly completed four rotations around his opponent.

"Sabretooth!" I yelled, "go to its feet!"

"It won't work." Hala said. "Hariyama, use Arm Thrust!"

Perfect. In spite of myself, a grin spread on my lips.

"Stay at its feet and dodge!" I instructed my Litten. Flame Charge had increased Sabretooth' speed and it was for the best as Hariyama's oversized hands crashed to the wooden battlefield, sending splinter all around as it tried to hit its opponent that was racing all around him once more, avoiding each of the hits, until…

_CRACK!_

The platform that had been weakened by Sabretooth' flames broke under Hariyama's huge weigh and its numerous blows when it tried to reach its opponent. I was pleased to see the yellow and blue fighting Pokemon drops a few feet under ground (so to say) and I heartily laughed.

"Let's use it to our advantage! Sabretooth, use Scratch!" I commanded. My Litten raced at the stuck Pokemon, baring his claws as he ran and dug them as deep as he could into the Hariyama's belly, drawing blood on the three claw marks that were left.

"Not bad." the Kahuna said. "Hariyama, get out of here!"

"Sabretooth, don't let him, use Scratch again."

My Litten hissed as it rushed to Hariyama, but this time, Hariyama wasn't left unmoving. It had firmly placed its hands on the wooden platform and once it had been certain of its support, pushed itself upwards. Inch by inch, I could see the huge body getting out of the hole it had fallen in.

"Get out of here," I told Sabretooth right after it had clawed the Hariyama again. Now the fighting type Pokemon was almost completely out, six bloody fresh claw marks on its belly.

"Alright! Time to end this!" Kahuna Hala bellowed out, crossing his arms with his Z-Ring shining. He lifted his left foot far off the battlefield, his Hariyama copying in perfect sync. Both thrust their arms forwards as if they were hitting some invisible target in front of them.

_Here it come…_I thought I had been ready for it to happen, yet it still caught me by surprise.

"I am the Kahuna! I am connected with Tapu Koko and my Pokemon as one!" he recited. "It's time to show you our full power! All-Out Pummeling! Let's GO!" he shouted that last word.

"Hari!"

This looked bad, but I wasn't going to give up now, I resolved as an aura came from the Kahuna and surrounded the Hariyama.

"Alright, Sabretooth! Our turn! Time to show why we cranked up that speed of yours and why we are doin' it again!" I said to myself. "Flame Charge to dodge them all!" I commanded in a mighty roar, determination back in my voice. If I were to lose, I'd lose in a blast. But I wasn't going to lose! Sabretooth roared out in the same intensity, cloaking himself in fire for the fourth time. He charged at full speed towards his opponent.

My hands clenched into a first as I watched the show that'd decide it all. However the rapid amount of energy-created hands that fired of Hariyama's body blinded Sabretooth from me.

But not for too long.

Looking up, I saw that Sabretooth had leaped into the air as the remaining pummeling hands flew by. And Sabretooth looked to be alright, he had succeeded in dodging them all! The plan had worked! Worked!

"YES!" I shouted out of excitement. "Now it's our turn! Sabretooth!" I boomed in pride, crossing my arms to activate my Z-Ring and its Normalium Z-Cristal, sending my fighting spirit to Sabretooth. I had a smirk when I saw my Litten crossing his two forepaws in an "X" sign. In my mind, I was sure he was grinning just like I was.

"Alright, Kahuna. Time to show you what we are REALLY made of!" I yelled to Hala. "Sabretooth, time to end this wicked party! Use Breakneck Blitz!"

Just like what had happened during our training session, Sabretooth screeched out a battle cry that sounded fiercer than any he had. He blasted off his tiny paws, running at maximum speed and, within two seconds, collided against the Hariyama. Instinctively, I shielded my eyes when the impact was made and, the moment I looked up again was the exact time Kiawe announced the result.

"Hariyama is unable to battle! Litten in the winner. The match goes to Jade!"

It took me a moment to register what those words meant and, once I understood, I crumbled onto my knees. It just had happened…. Part of me wanted to scream in joy. To do a happy dance. Yet, instead, the stress got the best of me and caused my knees to buckle under me. Which was for the best as I was at the right level for Sabretooth to come to me with glimmering eyes. I squealed out and hugged him tight, to his displeasure. He growled under his breath, but I wasn't about to let go of the affectionate act.

"Jade, that was awesome!" Ash exclaimed, coming to me, and giving me a start. In the heat of the battle, I had totally forgotten there was an audience. As I expected, Sabretooth took advantage of it to get away from my embrace. He still meowed and brushed his fur against my leg as I was getting up.

The other came and congratulated me as Mallow handed me back Gaïa who was still pouting.

"Stop sulking, we won." I told her. "Oh man! Thank you Ash, guys. It was a lot of…" I was beginning to say, but I noticed that Lillie hadn't moved from the place she had been standing in when watching my battle.

She looked enthralled, seemingly unaware that my Grand Trial was even done. Following her glance, I noticed in the distance a mahogany Pokemon that I have never seen before, standing in a slump stance next to a person in black clothing. Unfortunately, from the distance, I couldn't be sure if they were looking back at Lillie or something else. Then they walked off.

I jumped down the platform, leaving the group discussing the battle and went to her.

"Lillie, are you alright?" I asked, patting her on the shoulder.

"Huh? Oh… Yeah," she said, as if I had suddenly awaken her. "I think congratulation are in order?" she asked in a sheepish voice. She was blushing, her cheeks a deep shade of red, and I was almost 100 percent sure it wasn't because of the battle.

"Who was that guy?" I asked her. "A boyfriend?" I suggested bluntly. I hadn't been able to see much of the person, but I knew it was a guy from his stance and the way it moved that was quite masculine.

"What? No!" She almost screamed, turning even redder. "I… I have to go."

"Wait…" But she was already running away. Now she had got me curious. What could be the issue? From what I understood, Lillie was from a wealthy family. Maybe she had her future husband already chosen? I heard that it happened in rich household, so the family would get richer. And maybe Lillie had fallen in love with a guy? A secret love. One that her family wouldn't agree with. That'd be so romantic. And if I could, I'd help them!

My daydream was shattered by a deep booming voice and a heavy hand on my shoulder.

"Congratulation on passing your trial, Jade!" Hala hummed from my side. Looking up, I nodded with a smile, too surprised to even complain about the Kahuna's familiarity and touch.

"Thank you Kahuna. And I hope you marked those words that you said about beatin' me." I said with pride.

"Fortunately for me, I didn't." He laughed, handing me a fighting Z-Crystal. "Once again, congratulation, you earned it!"


	17. I will consider it

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**"I'll Consider It."**

"Gaia! Marie! Sabretooth! No running around in here! I don't want you to break something! This room isn't ours!" I hollered out angrily at my Pokemon while I sat at a computer desk with my laptop on. Those two have been going after one another since they woke up and there was no stopping them. Gaia whined out and leaped onto the desk from the bed.

"Vy vy Snivy!" Gaia emitted, looking down at Sabretooth who hissed. I rolled my eyes with a grunt in annoyance.

"Gaia. Sabretooth! What did I say? This room is technically "ours", but it's because I rented it! That does NOT mean you can just run around!" I fired back. Gaia glared at me with crossed arms, mimicking my mother's pose when she was mad at me. I glared back with knitted eyebrows.

"Don't look at me like that." I growled, returning my attention to my laptop. I had been looking at information regarding this mahogany Pokemon I had seen after my battle against Kahuna Hala. I had never seen this Pokemon before and I had to describe it to Nurse Joy to have some hints about what it was.

"Oh, it must be a Lycanroc." she had said after hearing my description. "Wait, I must have something about these somewhere." The nurse had left the front desk to her Chancey's care until she came back a few moment later with a book. "Here." she had said proudly. "It's about the different species of Alolan Pokemon. There is a page about Lycanroc in there."

I had taken the book and thanked her before heading back to my room. I was grateful for the effort she had made to find this, however I wasn't quite fond of reading, books in particular. I couldn't really say why, but books had never attracted me at all. Maybe it was because I had been forced to read too many books when I was in school. So it was now laying untouched on the desk, next to the egg incubator where my Rufflet egg was resting in. All I had checked was how "Lycanroc" was spelled and I made some researches about it on my laptop.

There weren't much information about it. One being that it was the evolution of Rockruff, but that wasn't what caught my attention. Apparently, there were two forms of Lycanroc. And they had little in common. The one I had seen was a 'Midnight' Lycanroc.

_Even though they are bipedal, Midnight Lycanroc have a more feral appearance than their Midday counterpart. Their fur is short and red on their main body..._" yaddah, yaddah… I already knew what they looked like and, if I didn't, there were pictures of them. "_Strangely, and unlike the Midday Lycanroc who prefer living on their own to avoid needless fight, Midnight Lycanroc live in pack, the biggest amounting twenty to thirty members. Midnight Lycanrocs are thrilled by battling and the stronger the opponent, the higher their excitement. This is why it's extremely difficult for trainers to control their Pokemon, especially in the heat of a battle and those who own a Midnight Lycanroc are carefully observed._

_It is easy to see when Midnight Lycanroc are ready to battle as their eyes glow red. From the battles, both in the wilderness and in 'civilized' areas, that were recorded, usual strategy for Lycanroc consists of closing in on their opponent and encouraging them to attack so they'd tire easily. They'll then counter with powerful blows, knocking out their opponents. Trainers they find worthy of their trust are those they accept to use their full potential with. On the other hands, they despise those who try to force them to fight or they don't find strong enough._"

There were some more data and pages about those Pokemon, but as I got the main picture, I stopped reading. It reminded me of Umbreon and Espeon. Those two also evolved differently depending the time of the day the event happened. It seemed happiness and link with their trainer wasn't as important as for Eevees, yet the article did precise there were a special bond with whoever managed to prove their worth to them.

"Well, I'd suppose that guy managed to show his strength to this Pokemon." I said out loud to none in particular, remembering the sight of them, or the little view I had anyway. "I'd understand why Lillie fell for him though." I added. Though, even so I understood it, I was surprised. They didn't look quite alike and I couldn't picture a gentle creature such as Lillie next to such a brutish looking Pokemon.

"Sabretooth!" I suddently yelled at my Litten. My little Pokemon had managed to climb all the way up to the closet and was sharpening his claws on the wooden piece of furniture. I checked my watch, I was running late. "Get down now! We're going." I announced.

"Mrow?" He answered, looking straight at me and resuming scratching the wood.

"Stop this! I told you, it's not our room, you can't use it as a scratching post." I said as I began to gather my belongings. Most of my stuff were back in my bags and I was ready to go at a moment's notice. Gaïa was watching me with a puzzled look, standing next to Marie who was peacefully sleeping on the bed. I finished off by sliding my laptop into its case and placed it on the bed. I took the book I have been given then went to the door.

"Come on," I repeated. "We're leaving. I… We successfully won our first Grand Trial," I reminded them. "Kahuna Hala told me I should go to Akala Island for the next one. And we need to use the ferry to get there." This is what nurse Joy had told me, noting on the map where the ferry office was.

My three Pokemon eventually got out of the room and we ran out in the corridor, passing by surprised individuals. I briefly apologized to them while I swerved around them. They were even more bewildered when I hopped onto the stair railing and slided down it with a bright smile. I was still smiling even under Nurse Joy's frown.

"This is not how you get down stairs." She sternly said. That's when I noticed it wasn't the same one who had lent me the book. This one seemed to be old fashioned. I carefully placed it on the desk.

"I know." I humbly said. "Thank you for letting me have this book. It was much useful." I added, lying through my teeth. "And thank you for your hospitality."

"Will you need your room for extra nights?" she asked me curtly. Yeah… This one didn't like me at all. I guess I was too 'wild' for her.

"I should need it for tonight." I admitted, handing her the card key. "I am taking the ferry to Akala Island tomorrow." She took the card key and wordlessly nodded as I made my way out of the Pokemon Center through its double doors.

"Oh, and don't use your motorbike!" The nurse said. "It's market day!"

I gritted my teeth. I had forgotten that detail and was about to use my faithful _Ferocity_ to go to town.

"I guess we're up for a walk." I said with a sigh. Sabretooth didn't seem to be wanting to walk as he leaped onto my shoulder, were Gaïa already was. Of course, she didn't like the feline Pokemon's action and both hissed at each other.

"Really?" I exclaimed, putting them both on the ground. "If you can't behave, then none of you will ride on my shoulders." I sternly said. They glared at each other and Sabretooth growled under his breath.

By the time we reached the harbor, they had managed to get mad at one another three times, taunting and teasing in turn. I had to threaten them to go back to the Pokemon Center and leave them in care of Nurse Joy for them to stop. A bit.

As I was about to enter the ferry office, my attention got diverted by a crowd that had gathered on the dock. As I still had time, and I had a curious nature, I decided to check what was going on. I had to elbow my way through people to reach the front line, making sure that my Pokemon were still at my heels. And I couldn't help but gasp. In the middle of the improvised battlefield was a Blastoise, whose owner was a sailor, and the mahogany Pokemon, the Mightnight Lycanroc I had seen the day before. I was sure it was the same one as its owner was the same black clad teenager.

The Lycanroc siftly dodged the Blastoise's water move and rushed at the Water Type Pokemon. I was surprised at such a choice though, Lycanroc were Rock Type Pokemon, thus at a disadvantage against Water Type Pokemon. Yet the young teen didn't seem to care as his Pokemon rushed at the Blastoise and punched the Pokemon in the stomach.

I thought it would handle the blow, Blastoise's shell are solid and they're also much bigger and heavier but no. The blue tortoise Pokemon was thrown into a nearby fountain, crashing into a mighty bang. Of course, its owner rushed to the Blastoise, in panic, while, all around me, the crowd was thinning and people were talking about the battle they had just witnessed.

As the audience was leaving, I noticed Lillie. She had ran to the black clothed boy. Other people had also gone to him, but it'd seem that, whatever he had told them had the bold individuals going away. I stood where I was and analyzed him. As I thought, he looked nothing like Lillie.

His hair was blond and that was about the only similarity with Lillie. Where Lillie was wearing a pure white dress like a good rich girl should, he was wearing a jacket that had a couple of shredded parts on the sleeves and he had long fair bangs over his right eyes. When the bright hot Alolan sun shone, I saw that he had two shining silver earrings on his left ear.

He muttered a few words to Lillie then moved away, leaving her behind, the Midnight Lycanroc walking after him. Poor Lillie seemed like a lost puppy looking at its owner leaving home and fearing he'd never come back.

"Hey!" I sternly said, placing myself before the boy. He looked up at me then shrugged, walking past me. "Won't you say anything?" I called after him. The nerve of that boy. How could he do that to such a sweet soul like Lillie? He could have some consideration for her.

"What would you like me to say?" he eventually answered without stopping.

"Your name would be a start." I snapped, catching him by the arm. That got him to stop and turn around to face me, releasing his arm from my grasp.

"Why would you want to know this?" he countered on a flat tone. Then his eyes went wide. Following the direction of his gaze, I realized he was looking at my Z-Ring on which I had put the Grassium-Z. "Where did you get that?" he asked quickly.

"Surprised?" I hummed with a smirk. "Believed it or not, I got it from Tapu Bulu." I proudly added.

"Really?" He said, his voice still even. He clearly didn't believe me. "Why would Tapu Bulu grant you a Z-Ring?"

"Why not?" I growled. "You saw me when I battled the Kahuna! I won." I said, pointing at him and it was a good thing he was a few feet away otherwise I'd have hit him on the chest.

"Yeah, I saw." he smirked, clearly amused, which annoyed me even more. I couldn't see what Lillie would find into that guy. I guessed he had some hidden qualities that I couldn't see for now, maybe. I heard a growl that could be from me. Looking down, I saw Gaïa standing as high as she could, her eyes filled with passionate fire and locked into Lycanroc's.

She hissed and, if I couldn't know what it really meant, I understood it was a taunt of sort as the Lycanroc's eyes turned red and it pressed its rocky mane on Gaïa's smooth head.

"Hmf… I never expected this Pokemon to be so bold and headstrong, especially considering its short stature." He bluntly and coldly commented.

"She sure is!" I agreed, to his surprise. I supposed he expected me to be upset by his comment and I was glad to see I caught him off-guard with my positive answer. I punched my right fist into my left arm. "And we can show how good we are with a battle." I added firmly. I also wanted to give him a piece of my mind about his attitude towards Lillie, and I was sure I'd get his attention once I'd have defeated him.

"A battle?" he repeated in a way that made me briefly think he hadn't heard me correctly.

"Yes, a battle. You seem to doubt my ability and my blessing from Tapu Bulu. So what better way to show you the guardian hadn't made a mistake?" I stated. "Besides, both my and your Pokemon seem really pumped about it. I'd not want these feelings of them to go to waste. So what d'ya say?"

He didn't answer right away. I could see him starring at me, as if to make sure I was worth his time. I also noticed that his glance shifted to something behind me.

"I will consider it." he eventually said, turning around.

"I'll be at the Pokemon Center." I told him. "You can find me there. Don't keep me waitin'." Of course he didn't answer to it, but as I watched him leaving, I smirk spread on my lips.

"Oh, Gladion…" a soft voice sighed behind me.

"Lillie!" I exclaimed. So Gladion was his name. "Are you alright?" I asked her. She was somberly looking down. She still nodded.

"I'll be. Don't worry." she managed to muster up a giggle that didn't convince me at all.

"Is that because of what this Gladion did?" I bluntly asked.

"What?"

"I saw him with you earlier." I explained. "I don't know what he told you, but I suppose it wasn't nice. I know it can be complicated in your situation, but trust me, you have my support."

"Er… Thank you." she hesitantly said.

"Yeah!" I gave her a thumb up. "And if you need, you could elope to Unova. I am sure my parents wouldn't mind to welcome such a cute couple."

"What?" she exclaimed again, her cheeks turning bright red. "I think there is a misunderstanding…"

"Don't worry," I lightly said. "I told you, I understand it can be complicated for a sweet rich girl like you to fall in love with such a rough looking boy. I mean, look at us. None would believe you and I can be friend."

"No… Jade…" Lillie stammered. "Gladion… He is my big brother."

"Wait… That boy?" I blurted. "Wow…"

"Yeah… However, you were right… It's quite complicated." she said.

"I see…" I merely replied. I was curious, sure, but I didn't want to ask what was troubling her, no matter how much I wanted to know. If she wanted to tell me, she'd. On the other hand, I could see she needed something to take her mind off things. "I am going to train in a nearby hill, if you want to come with me." I offered. "I'd need someone to watch over my gift… And as you already did it with Snowy when he was an egg…"

"Oh… Yeah… I.. I can come." she said with a small bow. I gave her a thumb up.

"Come on, maybe we can get Snowy to learn a move or two in the process." I said happily though I hoped Lillie would be okay with whatever endeavor she was going through.


	18. Time for a Challenge

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Time for a Challenge!**

_Tap-tap-tap! Tap-tap-tap! _

"Uhnn…" I moaned out when a mysterious, tapping noise entered my ears, pulling me out of my dream, though not completely waking me up either. My body was toasty warm from the sheets, covering my whole body with a secure weight. With a tiny sigh, I squirmed a bit, adjusting my position for more comfort, ready to get back to sleep and to my dream.

_Tap-tap-tap-tap!_

The tapping pierced the quiet sound of night once more. I groaned a bit more loudly and moved again, curling up into a ball. While I shifted position, I felt something climbing on the end of bed to my right. Instinctively, I kicked but my feet didn't touch anything. Instead, my leg now has something heavy on it. An instant later, the object hopped off. Satisfied that nothing was bothering me anymore, I turned on my stomach and sighed out in relief.

Through my foggy sleepy brain, the idea that someone was in my room and had climbed on my bed made its way. And I jerked awake, my eyes opening suddenly. Of course, I couldn't see anything in the darkness of the night that the glowing numbers of the alarm-clock were not sufficient to lighten. While my eyes were adjusting to the obscurity, I listened, but nothing. Even the tapping sounds had stopped.

Little by little, I could make out more of what was around me, from the desk in the corner to the other bed that now was occupied. I had met the girl when I came back from my meeting Lillie's brother to fetch Justice's incubator. I hadn't been pleased to know that I was going to share the room with another individual, yet it was for one night only, so I decided to bite the bullet. Good thing that this girl didn't seem to be invasive and she kept to herself.

A squeal brought me back to my own bed and I saw that the 'something' that had climbed on the bed had been Gaïa and that she was pointing at the window.

"Okey… What's goin' on?" I muttered as I stifled a yawn. I moved the curtain away when my Snivy insisted, but couldn't see anything at all. Everything was quiet, safe from the blowing wind that furiously moved the tree branches in the park around the Pokemon Center. "The noise woke you up too?" I whispered, making sure to spoke low enough so I'd not wake my roommate.

"It probably was a nocturnal Pokemon, nothing more." I said with a yawn I didn't even cover. "Let's go back to sleep. Tomorrow we're going to take the ferry for our next adventure." I said, laying back on the bed. Yet Gaïa was having none of it and she hopped on my stomach, emptying my lungs in the process in an inelegant gasp.

With a grunt, I sat back up, eyes sunken with annoyance and exhaustion, but Gaïa had already left and was standing on the windowsill, looking intently outside.

"You really want to go out _now_?" I exclaimed, keeping my voice low as much as I could. I glanced at the blue digital numbers on the clock, now really taking in what they showed. "It's past one in the morning… Gaïa… Why?" I huffed. "Fine… You'll regret it tomorrow." I said, opening the window. A cold breeze entered just as my Grass Type Pokemon left. But not for long. As I was about to close the window, she was back, a paper in her hand. I sighed out.

"All that for that? Com'on, you don't need an old piece of paper. I thought you had stopped your collection?" I said, shaking my head. A few years back, Gaïa had taken the habits of collecting stuffs – usually old unwanted small items, or plain trash – and to bring them to my room. It had been hard to have her stop doing it. She hissed out as she placed it on the bed and left, looking offended.

"I don't have time for this…" I sighed, plopping back onto the bed, my head hitting the pillow with a soft sound. Without looking, I took the chilled piece of paper to put it on the night table and throw it to the trash at a more suitable hour. Yet, I realized that it wasn't really an old piece of paper. It was neatly folded and I could see some handwriting on it.

It was a letter.

_Who could have left a letter here?_ I wondered. I glanced over to the sleeping form of my roommate. Perhaps it was meant for her? There was only one way to know and I opened it. There were only three sentences written on it.

'_I have decided to accept your battle challenge. I want to see for myself why Tapu Bulu would grant you a Z-Ring. Meet me at Hau'Oli City's beach at 7:00 AM.'_

It wasn't signed, but I didn't need much thinking to know who it came from. "Sweet!" I laughed quietly, placing the letter on the nightstand. Yet, even though I was thrilled by the battle that was awaiting me in the morning, I was also worried. Why would Gladion use such a strange way to set a battle date when he could just have met me at the Pokemon Center earlier? Lillie had warned me that her brother was a bit 'different' and 'strange' than how he used to be when he was younger.

Oh well, I'd ask about it when I was going to meet him tomorrow. For now, I needed sleep, after all, I was about to show a proud boy what I really was made of. I got back into a comfortable position to sleep and finally managed to drift back into dream land sooner that I'd have expected I would .

When I arrived at the beach, on foot as I had chosen not to use Ferocity given the early hour, none was here. I was a bit disappointed. The truth was that I had planned to ask him a thing or two before the battle started. The day before, during a break in my training, Lillie had shared a bit of their story, but I wanted to know what _his_ side was. Maybe I'd have more time once we would be done.

I had time to imagine how the conversation, or even the battle, would go while I waited, Gaïa playing in the sand, digging and running around. I had thought of several moves and ways to counter his Lycanroc's attacks. Yet I didn't quite think I'd have to use them so soon.

When I had woken up, I had thought that I had dreamed the whole thing. However when my eyes had rested on the nightstand, the unfolded paper with the few words written on it showed that it hadn't been a dream at all. I had taken Gaïa with me as I rushed outside – as silently as I could in order to not wake anyone – and left Sabretooth with Marie and Justice's egg. The outside air was chilly and I wrapped my now clean jacket around me. The sun was slowly rising, tainting the sky in red and gold color. I took it as a good omen.

"Hi Gladion!" I hollered, waving my hand high when I saw him arriving from the road. His Lycanroc was walking next to him and I could see his surprised glance when I said his name. "You're late." I told him once he was closer.

"You're early." he retorted bluntly, stopping a few feet from me. "I recall writing the battle was at seven, not at six thirty."

"You betcha! I like arriving a bit early for such things." I replied with a wink.

Gladion merely let out a 'hmph' sound before walking away to the correct distance of a real battlefield, readying himself for the battle. Gaïa slided down my arms from my shoulder and landed on the sand in a well performed somersault. I carefully walked on the sand and punched my hands together. On the other side, Gladion was looking at me, his face emotionless. His Lycanroc was already in its place, waiting.

"Your move." he simply said.

"You ask for it! Gaïa, start this party with Magical Leaf!" I commanded her, thrusting my fist out. My Snivy stomped her feet into the sand, ran towards her opponent and jumped, using the momentum to spin horizontally, all the while firing sparkling razor-sharp leaves to Lycanroc. Lycanroc being rock type, I expected it to be super effective. Or that Gladion would ask his Pokemon to move away, or to counter it.

But when the leaves fell, I could see that the feral looking Pokemon was still standing there. It hadn't moved. It had taken the attack willingly… And it didn't show any hint of having suffered any sort of damage. The only results of the Magical Leaf were some green shade on the sand and a few grunts from Lycanroc. Gaïa landed and looked back at me, her eyes wide, just like mine were. Yet, we both grinned in sync, to Gladion's surprise as he rose his brow.

"Your move had had close to no effect on my Lycanroc." He stated. "And you're fine with this?"

"Of course we are!" I laughed, adding to his bewilderment. "Your Lycanroc took that attack like a champ! When we take you down, our victory will be all the more meaningful." I went on excitedly. "Gaïa! Get closer!"

"Lycanroc, use Stone Edge!" Gladion gave his first legitimate attack. My mind quickly came up with an idea.

"Gaia! Vine Whip on the first rock. Wrap your vines around it and pull yourself around the others!" I fired out. Gaia nodded in agreement, skided to a stop while glowing blue stones broke through the sand. Gaia swerved her vines around the stones, going left-to-right repeatedly. When her vines clutched the first rock, she pulled herself with her body swiftly following her vine's path. As she closed in, Gaia instinctively jumped onto the top of the rock.

"Lycanroc! Bite!" Gladion commanded with no tone of surprise in his voice. I swore he'd be stunned at my clever, successful tactic with the Stone Edge's rocks. We have learned that one with my father and I had thought it'd be a good idea to use it for this battle.

"Gaia! Jump!" I fired out. Gaia jumped up as commanded, her tiny feet barely dodging Lycanroc's snarly sharp fangs.

"Being small and swift can be useful." I taunted Gladion.

"Stone Edge again!" Gladion growled. Lycanroc huffed out, punching his fist into the sand. Yet this time, they were much faster and she didn't manage to do that same thing she had earlier. One of the sharp rocks crashed onto Gaia's chest. She shrieked out and flew into the sea, a large splash of clear water spraying upwards. Yet she was as stubborn as her trainer and rushed back to the sandy battlefield, standing to her feet, clutching her chest with an agonized hiss and wincing eyes.

"Use Bite!"

"Vines around the legs, go!" I hollered out. At my command, my Snivy's eyes snapped open, fire of determination blazing within. However they were hardly enough to bother the Lycanroc in its dash. It closed in on Gaia, the tightness of the curled vines began to fall.

"Toss him into the water!" I yelled.

"VY!" She grunted out loudly when she tried her best to lift the mahogany Pokemon, using its momentum to her advantage, as the water was right behind her. However the blow she had gotten also seemed to have exhausted Gaia more than I expected and she was breathing heavily. I could also see her usually green chest turning reddish. Nevertheless, her determination helped her and if she couldn't send the Lycanroc to the water, at least she could change the direction it was going.

"Aqua Tail, Gaia! Let it rip!" I exclaimed in an excited manner. Gaia smirked, blasting a dense cyclone of water onto Lycanroc's chest. The canine Pokemon dug his hind legs into the sandy floor, waves lapping at his feet, in hope to prevent being blasted back. Despite its best efforts, Aqua Tail did its job, but not as much as I'd have hoped. Lycanroc was thrown back a few feet away. Gaia flipped onto her feet, her hand on the ground. We had to finish it quick!

"Nice one!" I squealed out. "Now, it's time for our favorite combo before Lycanroc can recover! Aqua Tail plus Tackle!"

"Lycanroc, Counter!" Gladion exclaimed in a slightly bitter tone. Maybe he hadn't expected the battle to last this long. Tough on him!

Gaia rammed her head onto Lycanroc's red tinted fist. The collision was short and Gaia shrieked out when she skyrocketed into the air with a pain-filled and rather dazed expression. Gladion took her condition and her rapid descent from the sky to his advantage by commanding Lycanroc to use a Stone Edge again. The rock slammed onto Gaia's back, sending her flying high into the air once again. My heart dropped when she plummeted onto the sand and remained motionless.

"Gaia!" I screamed, dashing to her side, fearing the worse. Gladion really had given her no chance. Counter would have been enough, yet he still had his Pokemon to use another Stone Edge. Gaia hissed quietly when I lifted her into my arms. Stroking her head, I whispered that her battling skills were incredible.

"Alright Gladion. You got me good there." I said when he came to me as I was getting up.

"Yes." he simply answered, not even stopping as he passed by me. "I hope you're satisfied. You got your battle, and I got to see what you were worth."

"You really needed to use that last Stone Edge?" I growled. "Wasn't that over-killing?"

That got him to stop and turn to face me, our differently shaded green eyes locking into one another's.

"You asked for it. However I'll be fair, you're not half bad of a trainer. Tapu Bulu _may_ have made a good choice. Yet this remain to be seen."

"Why should I care what you think about me being chosen by Tapu Bulu?" I snapped. "Besides, I know you saw me when I was fighting Kahuna Hala. And I won. This should be proof enough."

"Think what you want," he replied with a shrug, moving away again. "Take care of your Snivy." he grumbled.

"One more thing!" I replied. He stopped, but didn't turn around this time.

"What is it?"

"If someday we were to bump into each other again, let's battle!" I exclaimed. He didn't answer anything but sighed.

"We'll see 'bout this." He answered with a feeble wave of his hand. "In the meantime, I'd advise you to take care of this Pokemon of yours. She's much too bold for her own good and safety."

With that, he slipped his hands into his pants pockets and walked away, his Lycanroc trekking alongside him. Unless its trainer, the Pokemon looked back and me and Gaïa, a sneer on its lips.

"We'll defeat him." I assured my injured Pokemon as I was getting back to the Pokemon Center at a slow pace. "We'll train, we'll get stronger and we'll show him what we're really made of. Won't we?"

"Sni… Snivy." She agreed in a weak voice, yet her eyes shone with as much determination as there had been in the Lycanroc's eyes when it had turned to face us on its way out.


	19. A Rather Painful Hatching

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**A Rather Painful Hatching**

"What if you came with us?" Sophocles asked. I had gone to the Pokemon School to tell them that I was leaving to Akala Island and so that I wasn't going to take my leave without saying good bye. I also wanted tot tell my encounter with Gladion tot Lillie before I left. Yet, I was surprised to learn that they had a trip planned to that very same island.

"Yeah, that's a good idea!" Ash exclaimed, his faithful Pikachu climbing on his shoulder just as Gaïa was on mine.

"Guys…That's nice of you, really. But you don't have to invite me to come along. I have already got my ticket for the ferry…" I countered feebly to the Pokemon School class in their open-air classroom. But Mallow, who was slipping a floral binder labeled "Recipe WIP" in golden letters into her suitcase, shook her head.

"Jade. Don't be so stubborn about this!" she finally said, shutting her brown suitcase tight with a leaf charm zipper. Lana nodded while she collapsed her fishing rod.

"Yeah, Jade! We love your company! Why else would we have invited you along?" she laughed, slipping her fishing rod on the left side of her suitcase. I rolled my eyes while I clutched Justice's egg incubator tighter. The device felt warmer in my arms than usual but the day was unusually warm, and the warmth soaked into my leather jacket sleeves.

"Well _yeah_, okay, I get that. But I think you're going too far for me. We can just meet up at the harbor and…" I began to protest until Kukui interrupted the conversation by entering into the classroom.

"Why, Jade. Hello! I believe you heard about our plan for the school trip to Akala!" He exclaimed.

"She did!" Ash answered in my place. "And you know she is going to Akala as well? But she doesn't want to come with us."

"That's not…" I started saying, but then gave up.

"Is that so?" he lightly said, not listening to me. "You've always seemed to be upbeat about adventures. And I can assure you that we have a lot of adventures in store for this trip."

I shook my head.

"Professor, don't get me wrong. I am honored to be offered to go with you to Akala." I started explaining on a troubled tone, my face showing a guilty frown. "The thing is… I have been wanting to do this Island Challenge on my own. Trust me, I am really happy I met you all," I admitted softly. "Thing is, I fear I'll get side tracked and that it'll take longer to complete all the trials."

"I see. I can't say I am stunned," he said, with his usual smile. "You _are_ the sort of girl to take the short path to achieve whatever you have in mind. However it's a bit painful that you consider us a hindrance."

"You know it's not true." I said, placing Justice's incubator on a desk. "I am grateful to be your friend," A sincere smile spread on my face as I glanced at each of the students and professor, each one being my friend and I nodded. "You're the best one could hope for, you know this. And I wish I could spend more time with you. It's just that… Well.. I won't be able to stay here forever."

"Why that?" Sophocles asked, standing up onto his short legs. He had a white lightning bolt patterned backpack on his shoulder. "I was really looking forwards to hanging out with you."

"Likewise…" I said half-hearted.

"And I was looking forwards to training with you, Jade!" Ash exclaimed further, drowning my answer to Sophocles and taking the attention away from me and him.

"We have already trained together a lot Ash." I scoffed, shaking my head. "You really want to make me feel guilty about my decision, huh?"

"No! Of course not!" Kiawe answered, looking embarrassed, completely oblivious to my sarcastic and rhetorical question.

"Kiawe, I was kidding. I know you don't want to make me feel guilty and are only voicing your concern and thoughts in hope I'd change my mind." I added on with a toothy grin to which Kiawe replied with a silent and sincere smile.

"This said, Jade, and I am sorry to dive further into this Bunnelby hole, you didn't quite say if they managed to actually change your mind." Professor Kukuy remarked from my side. I faintly smiled and was about to answer when a creaking sound prevented me. Looking down to the desk where I had put Justice's Egg, I noticed it was radiating off a silver aura. And that the shell had started to break.

"Oh shit!" I shouted out the second my brain processed what was going on with the egg. All thought of my soon departure and leaving them – or not, - gone. "Guys! Guys! Look!"

Mallow gasped out, an elated smile on her face.

"Our gift is about to hatch." she announced. I squealed at this. I knew that they had already witnessed Pokemon hatching with Snowy and the headmaster's Kantonian Vulpix they had in charge. Yet it was the first time I got to see it happen for real and before me. All the other eggs I saw hatching were on video and shows.

And I couldn't wait to see it. Yet I had to confess I was really nervous about the entire process. Everyone in the room let go of what they were doing to gather around the desk where the egg stood. I wanted to tell them to move away, that it was a moment between me and my Pokemon – I also feared Justice would see anyone of them first and consider them as his trainer instead of me – but I couldn't.

"Professor, should I bring it to the Pokemon Center?" I asked as I removed the top of the incubator. The egg was pulsing rhythmically though faster was each passing second.

"No need to." Lillie answered in place of Professor Kukuy as she came closer to the egg. "The same had happened with Snowy and he is all right as you can see."

"So we don't do anything?" I asked again.

"No." The professor replied. "Don't worry Jade, I am sure you took a great care of that egg. There is no reason that anything bad would happen during the hatching process."

"Oh… Okay." I whispered, feeling a bit disappointed. I wished there was something I could do instead of just standing up aside, watching the egg that contained my Rufflet glowing at an increasing pace, almost brighter than the Alolan sun.

"Come on, Justice," I said between gritted teeth. "You'll soon be into this world."

I felt a brush on my shoulder and looked up to see Headmaster Oak standing next to me. The sight surprised me as I haven't heard him coming into the room.

"So the time as come, huh?" he said, placing what looked like a portable sensor disc on the table. "Do you know what that is, Jade?" he asked me.

"No." I answered, shaking my head. "I have never seen one of these before. Is it an Alola device or somethin'?" I asked, which made him laugh.

"No, not at all. Even though it's rather new technology. It's a state-of-the-art sensor that reads the intensity of the egg's glow. And the brightness means two things."

"Really? And what does it mean?"

"One is rather obvious and it's the fact it's about to hatch." It was all I could not to reply 'duh!'. "How close it is to hatch, should I add." he went on as if he had read my thoughts.

"And the second?"

"The second, according to Professor Elm of Johto, is the Pokemon's initial strength."

"The Pokemon's initial strength?" I repeated. "You mean health wise? Or like… physically?"

"Both." Headmaster Oak answered, checking the numbers on the device. "I must say that it looks a bit bolder than Snowy's." A tiny gasp exited my mouth through an elated smile. I was quite pleased to know that Justice would be a fighter.

"Look!" Ash yelled, pointing his finger towards the egg and moving forwards as if he was about to take it. Fortunately, Professor Kukuy extended his hand in front of Ash's body, stopping him in his track. Good thing too, I doubted I'd have been that nice had Ash tried to put one finger on the egg. I looked away from Ash and concentrated on the egg that began to crackle loudly and the light almost blinded me.

I put up my hand in front of my eyes to shield me from the bright light and through my fingers, I saw the egg began to morph into the silhouette of a Rufflet, almost a foot taller than the actual egg had been. A mighty white flash erupted from Justice's silhouette followed by a trill.

The light soon dissipated and I smiled as I uncovered my eyes to look at my new partner. Though that smile I had turned into a gape as Justice leaped to me and used Pluck on me, his hard beak trying to pierce my skin through my leather jacket.

"HEY!" I yelled in pain, putting my arms behind my back, away from Rufflet's attack. "JUSTICE! CUT IT OUT!" I added when the Pokemon fiercely hopped in my direction, beating its wings in an attempt to fly in my direction and I took one step back.

Kiawe was strangely quick to act and placed the egg incubator's cover over Justice. As it was made of glass, my newly hatched didn't notice it right away and had a surprised look when it bumped against a transparent wall he hadn't seen.

"Aw, man… That hurt." I moaned, rubbing my forearms. I pulled up the sleeves and saw some red marks on my arms. Fortunately, I wasn't bleeding.

"Why did that happen?" Ash asked Professor Kukuy.

"Justice must have thought of me as a parent figure of somethin'," I answered, pulling my sleeves down again.

"And?" Ash asked, more confused.

"Rufflets have a sort of… tradition," I said, for lack of a better words. "In order to show their worth to their parents, they don't hesitate to challenge them as soon as they hatch and whenever they feel like it." I told them, remembering the lesson I had had about these Unovan Flying Pokemon back there.

"I see." Ash whispered as I moved to reach the incubator's cover and remove it. Justice had started to Pluck it and I didn't want him to break the glass as he could get injured from it. He still had his eyes locked on me and didn't turn away when I giggled and slowly reached for his feathery head with immense caution.

But Justice only chirped out, signaling that I could pet him. Which I did with delight, ruffling his feathers and, before long, I could hold him into my arms. Justice curiously glanced at each individual around us before lifting his head to me, cawing out angrily.

"Can I pet him too?"

Before I could answer, Justice cawed again and flew out of my grasp. He fluttered right next to Lillie and Snowy, eyes glaring at the snow-white Vulpix. Snowy hissed as Lillie shrieked out and bumped against a chair, causing her to stumble back.

"Lillie, are you alright?" Mallow exclaimed, rushing at Lillie's side as I went to Justice.

"Don't DO that!" I snapped out, snatching the Rufflet back into my arms. "You can't just attack people like this." Justice didn't seem to even hear me as he growled at the white quadruped. "I guess you want to battle Snowy, right?" I said with a smirk.

"I… I don't battle." Lillie said with a shaky voice. I didn't answer that I had noticed it back when we 'trained' together. She had refused any invitation of fighting me and Gaïa, preferring sitting aside next to Justice's egg, her Vulpix sleeping at her side.

"But I do!" Ash intervened rushing to his desk where his backpack was. "And I know just the right one to fight you."

"Pika!" Pikachu said happily.

"No pal, not you." Ash said with a sorry giggle. "I meant him." he added proudly, showing me his open bag. Inside his Rowlet was sleeping soundly.

This got Justice's attention who chirped angrily, waking the other bird Pokemon from his slumber. The dozy owl stared into Justice's eyes then chirped out and flew out of Ash's bag, fluttering right up to Justice's face. Justice lifted his wings and cawed out in a happier and much more determined tone than before.

"Looks like we have a battle coming our way." Professor Kukuy laughed.

"Sure does! Are you ready for it Jade?"

"Always! Consider it my farewell battle," I said to Ash, taking an empty Pokeball from my belt. Justice blinked a couple of time as I pressed the trigger button of the Pokeball onto his head. Soon enough, the device sucked him in. My hand clenched on the shaking Pokeball until the heart-lifting click reverberated through the room.

I laughed and sent Justice back out with my arm extended. The Rufflet flew to the ceiling, flipped and fluttered down gently, wrapping his thick talons around my leather jacket sleeve.

"Okay Ash. Now I am ready! Let's head to the battlefield!"


	20. Bird Battle

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Bird Battle**

"So, Pluck, Wing Attack and Cut, huh?" I muttered for myself as I checked my Pokedex. We were loudly making our way to the school's battlefield, Ash louder than the other, excited about the up-coming battle against my newly hatched Rufflet.

"That's right, Jade! Pluck, Wing Attack and Cut!" Ash's Rotom replied in a prideful, squeaky voice, giving me a start. The talking Dex had been floating next to my shoulder and hearing it speaking so close to my ear surprised me. Fortunately, the others didn't notice it.

"Those aren't half bad moves for a hatchling! Thanks for the info, Rotom!" I answered, winking at it. Rotom beeped out happily, his screen showing an elated smile emoji. My smirk then lowered into a frown as I looked at him again.

"Hey… Actually, where have you been? I haven't seen you in a while. I thought you were always with Ash?" I asked him in a stern voice.

"Hehehehe…" Rotom laughed sheepishly, rubbing his 'arm' on the back of his flat… body?

"You're right. I do, usually, but I've had some circuitry problems lately… so I had to get repaired." it explained, Professor Kukui nodding behind the device he had built. "I was back in order this morning, just in time for your Pokemon to be born. How lucky is that? I was able to record it all!" It added as a proud emoji showed up on its screen soon replaced by the recording of Justice's egg shining a silvery light.

"Shouldn't you have asked my permission first?" I asked, crossing my arms. Rotom-Dex showed another smiling emoji on his screen.

"It's for academic purpose." Rotom-Dex said. "There is no harm in this." Yet his screen emoji turned into a frowning blue face with light blue tears running down. "Do you want me to erase it?"

"No, it's fine. If you have just taken Justice's hatching and I don't appear on screen, I don't mind." I commented. I didn't like how I appeared on video or photo so I avoided them as much as possible. Needless to say the idea of my image being used on a video shown in class didn't please me either.

"I'll blur your face then!" Rotom-Dex beeped out happily in agreement. "Will that be alright for you?"

"I guess so." I was replying when my words were drowned by Justice's sudden caw when Ash raced past us to open the door and rush out of the building to the battlefield. I hissed out, wincing at the ear-piercing low-pitched and yet powerful caw from my new Pokemon.

"Justice!" I exclaimed, rubbing my ear, an annoying whistling sound still resonating in my ear. Though I didn't say anything else. After all, my Rufflet wasn't to blame, he had been in the world for around twenty minutes, half an hour max, it was understandable he had some instinctive and emotion-based reaction. Especially around someone like Ash. "You don't have to shout that loud." I scoffed, brushing my Pokemon's feather. I couldn't help but giggle when I saw him lifting and tilting his head to me, then chirp a much more agreeable tune.

"He got used to you rather fast," Mallow commented, walking at my side. "It's hard to believe he tried to attack you not so long ago."

"Yeah," I agreed, petting Justice's feathery head. "I showed him that he couldn't just try to attack me and the same way he tried to prove his worth to me, I proved him that I was worth to be his trainer."

"That's an interesting way to put it." Headmaster Oak said. "I am sure this would be of interest to my cousin," he added, though I couldn't be sure if it was for me or for himself. "I don't know if he had already thought of such things, trainers having to prove themselves to the Pokemon they caught..."

"Er…" Definitely, it wasn't meant for me. "Anyway, I am sure you'll fit right in and feel very welcomed within the gang!" I assured Justice with a laugh, turning to Gaïa who was walking a few feet behind me. As if he had understood what I had said and wanted to shout his happiness, Justice cawed out again, pressing his talons against my forearm where he was resting.

"Rowlet!" As we arrived at the battlefield, we could hear Ash's yelling at his Pokemon. "ROWLET! WAKE UP!" he was bellowing at the non-moving grass owl Pokemon he was holding in his hands. I turned and exchanged a glance with Mallow. I was confused, but Mallow seemed to be taking it rather well. Even Sophocles and Kiawe shrugged at it and Lana walked up to Ash.

"I thought you just woke him up?" Lana asked, going near him. "I can't believe he fell asleep that quickly!" she laughed.

"I did. But Rowlet loves to nap, no matter what's going on and in any given place." Rowlet opened a lazy eye. Then a second and eventually, he left Ash's arms to flutter in the air.

"I can see that. We left the classroom about five minutes ago!" I grumbled out. I was starting to have my doubt about this battle. I thought it would be even matched as Rowlet was older than my Rufflet, so more experienced and a good counter to Justice's type advantage. But if Justice's opponent was sleeping on the battlefield, it'd be a piece of cake to defeat him. My flying type Pokemon seemed to be thinking the same thing as I as he couldn't turn his fierce eyes away from Rowlet. "Don't let your guard down, okay?" I still said. "Mallow, can you keep Gaïa?" I asked the tall green-haired girl.

My Snivy had been silently following us, clearly not sharing the happiness of Justice's birth. And she showed it once more when she smacked Mallow's hand with her tail.

"Gaïa!" I firmly called. "That's not something to be done! Mallow is nice with you, you could be nice to her as well. I am sorry about what she did." I said to Mallow.

"It's alright. I guess she doesn't want to be touched today." she answered with a sheepish smile, brushing her hand that had been hit.

"Maybe…" I muttered, watching Gaïa from the corner of my eyes. "I'll deal with you later." I told my Grass Type Pokemon who just answered by turning around and looking in another direction.

"Would you like us to keep your other Pokemon?" Lana asked.

"Well, they are fine in their ball," I replied. "However, if you wish…" I relented, handing Lana my Pokeball with Marie and Sabretooth. Both Pokemon were quick to leave them though, Marie hopping in the blue haired girl's arms, emitting croaks of happiness whereas my Litten stood proudly next to Kiawe and proceeded to groom himself with his tongue.

"You can't groom yourself all the time." I said, shaking my head, though it had no effect on Sabretooth who merely meowed in a low tone and lied down.

"So, Jade, are you ready?" Ash called for me from his side of the battlefield. Rowlet was still wide awake and flying above his trainer.

"That I am." I answered with confidence, hustling to my place, Justice leaving my arm to fly near the centre of the field. Professor Kukuy already was standing in the referee's box and as I arrived where I was supposed to be, he lifted his left hand up.

"Attention! The battle between Jade from Unova and Ash from Kanto will now begin! This one-on-one battle will end when the Pokemon on either side is unable to continue!" he announced. "Let the battle begin!"

"Alright! Justice, make the first move! Use Pluck!" I hollered out as soon as the battle had started.

"Rowlet, use Peck!" Ash fired back at the same time. Both bird Pokemon cawed out loudly and accelerated to their respected opponent until they collided. Or rather, flew one above the other, though they did hit their target, injuring each other slightly. The two Pokemon shook their head without breaking eye contact.

"Justice! Cut!" I called, not losing one second.

"Rowlet, Tackle!" Ash countered.

The bird Pokemon went at each other again, ready to strike once more, though this time with their talons or entire body. To Ash's surprise, Justice was smart enough to let Rowlet come to him and move out of the way at the last moment. He dug his powerful claws into Rowlet's back, preventing him from moving.

"Good! Use Pluck!" I commanded, not about to let go of that advantage over our opponent. However before Justice could obey me, Rowlet had managed to throw Justice off, spinning horizontally and flinging my Rufflet off. A bit dazed by the spinning, Justice fell to the ground, however – and fortunately – he didn't crash on the ground but flew back into the air, relatively fine.

"Not bad!" Ash commented, with a hint of bewilderment in his voice. "Your Pokemon is quite strong already."

"As you can see!" I replied, though I had to admit that I was surprised by Justice's resilience too. Clutching my hands into a fist, I thrust out my right arm. "Justice! Show him how powerful you are with a Wing Attack."

"Rowlet! Dodge it and then use Tackle!" Ash commanded, swiping his hand to the side.

Justice flew higher in the sky as if he was reaching for the sun, then he turned around and gained momentum as he accelerated through the air, his wings glowing pure white to the point I almost couldn't see them anymore.

Not wanting to be outdone, Rowlet started to move faster, flying in Justice's direction. When Justice was only a foot away, Ash's Pokemon skyrocketed into the air and flipped vertically, avoiding my Pokemon's move and slamming into his chest, sending him fly away at top speed.

"Justice!" I screamed and was relieved to see my Rufflet get back on track. "Wing Attack one more time." I commanded excitably. Justice spinned around and went back high into the sky to Rowlet's side. This time though, Rowlet didn't adjust his trajectory and Justice collided his right wing onto Rowlet's side, causing the owl Pokemon to hoo painfully and my Rufflet to caw of joy.

"Nice move!" I could hear from the side of the battlefield, but that was all I could make out before I forced my attention back on the battle. And just in time for Ash' next command.

"Razor Leaf!" Damn, I didn't know Rowlet knew that move. Fortunately, it was a Grass Type move, so it'd not make that much damage on Justice. On the other hand, Justice was still young, so it was bound to have some effect anyway.

"Wing Attack!" I called again. "Cut right through them." I ordered. Yet Justice had a moment of hesitation and didn't follow my command right away. Instead of flying up and fast, my Pokemon flew still, an easy target to Rowlet's sharp leaves. Justice cawed out at each of the leaves' impact before slamming hard onto the battlefield. My brain was in high gear as I tried to understand why had Justice refused to move.

"Ataboy, Rowlet. Now use lots of Peck!" That brought me back to the present time and battle and I shook my head to get this issue away for later.

"Hoo!"

"Justice! Get up and fly above Rowlet." I exclaimed with cracks in my voice when I saw Justice emitting a moan of pain until he managed to push himself back onto his talons. Unfortunately he couldn't get back to the air as Rowlet was already here, flying a few inches above Justice, pecking his feathery head, sending white tuft of feathers all around.

Justice chirped out in a pained and infuriated tone. Somehow, to my surprise, he still managed to jump, talons ahead, and knocked Rowlet away before taking flight.

"Good boy!" I congratulated him. "Now fly back down and use Cut!" I hollered out, thrusting my hand into the air.

"Catch up to him and use Tackle!"

Justice cawed out and turned around to nosedive to Rowlet. One split second before the contact, Justice cocked back his glowing talons to strike his opponent. The impact soon came and even though my Pokemon was going faster, Rowlet had been the strongest one, sending Justice off to the ground where he crashed for the second time today.

"Justice!" But this time, he didn't move to get back up. Kukui crossed his arms.

"The battle is over!" he called. I went to scoop up my Pokemon in my arms while Rowlet landed on Ash's shoulder under his trainer's pleased smile. Smile who soon turned into a groan when Rowled cooed out a snore.

"You weren't kidding when you said it doesn't matter where he is nor what's happenin', if he wants to sleep, he sleeps." I huffed out, rolling my eyes. "Are you sure he's not sick?" I heard about something like that, narcolepsy though rare in Pokemon could still happen, some using it to their advantage like Snorlax or Slacking.

"No, that's just him." Headmaster Oak assured me, as the entire group of teenagers and himself came to us. "You should see Komala. That Pokemon really can sleep through everything." he proudly said.

"That was a great battle! Your Justice is awesome." Ash interrupted. "For a Pokemon who had just hatched, he did make us work for our victory!"

I laughed at that and ruffled Justice's dirty feathery head. "You bet! And just you wait for he and I to really train!" When I said that, something smacked me in the leg. I yelped out and looked down to find Gaïa retracting her vines into her body. "What give?" I exclaimed. "What has gotten into you? You've been in a bad mood ever since Justice hatched."

"Vy!" Gaïa snapped, shaking her head.

"I think she is jealous." Professor Kukui said. "You've been carrying your Rufflet around and not paying her enough attention."

"What? Again? Com'on, I thought this had been solved after I got Marie!" I exclaimed. Gaïa hadn't shown jealousy when I got Sabretooth, why did she now? "Well, I understand." I said anyway. "And I think I have a solution." I went on, handing Professor Kukui my Rufflet before kneeling down and picking up my jealous starter Pokemon. "What do you say that I have both of you train together?"

"Sni-vy!" she snapped out.

"Don't be like that. I am sure you'd be wicked training partners, if you accepted to train with him."

"I think so too! The type advantage against Snivy's previous training should make their chances of victory approximately equal." Rotom-Dex exclaimed from Ash's side. On the screen, the battle was replaying.

"See?" I said to Gaïa. "And you don't have to be jealous, I still love you as much as I did this morning when Justice was still in his egg." Gaïa looked at me for a long time before climbing back up to my shoulder, claiming her rightful place. With a sigh, I took my Pokeball and recalled my Pokemon, except Justice that I took from Professor Kukui.

"Well, thank you for everything." I told them. "Ash, it was great battling you and I look forwards doing it again sometimes. It was great meeting you all! I'll go to the Pokemon Center and then head straight away to the ferry."

"Jade…?" Lillie called in a shy voice.

"Yes Lillie?" I answered. I supposed she wanted to ask me something about her brother, as we hadn't had the occasion to speak privately about it, with their getting ready for their trip and Justice's hatching and then the battle.

"When was your ferry scheduled?" she asked softly.

"At ten thirty. Why?" I checked my watch and saw that it was almost the time. "Oh shit!" I exclaimed. "I got to go!" I was about to race back to the Pokemon Center to get Justice healed and Ferocity back to drive to the harbor when someone placed his hand on my shoulder.

"I guess you're a bit too late. Even if you were to leave now, I don't think you'd be able to make it in time." Headmaster Oak said. "And that you've no choice but to go with the class to Akala island."

"Can't fight fate, huh?" I hummed. "Ah well. If you still want me, I guess I'll come along for a bit longer." I went on with a soft and sincere smile. This wasn't what I had planned at all, and I still planned on going on my own at a point sooner or later, but being with some company wasn't that bad either.


	21. Meeting a New Kahuna

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Meeting a New Kahuna**

"I don't believe you missed your boat." Dad commented when I told him that I was in the harbor, waiting to go to Akala Island. "I told you time and time over to be careful with your schedule."

"I know dad," I answered in a sheepish voice though inwardly I just wanted to roll my eyes. Mom had shared stories when dad had been late for several appointments. Heck, she was sure he'd be late for their wedding! "But you know how I am when I am caught up in a Pokemon battle, nothing else matter."

"Ah ah ah! Do I know that." Dad laughed, his booming voice resonating through my Pokegear. "You're so much like your old man. What will you do though? Will you be able to go to that next island? Akala it was?"

"Yep, Akala Island." I confirmed. "I was lucky enough to be invited there with my friends. I hope you remember me talkin' to you 'bout them." I exclaimed, petting Gaïa's head. Ever since the match with Justice, she had been sticking to my side.

"Sure do. I am so glad to know you didn't lose time making friends." he commented in a proud, yet bewildered tone. "That's what travels and journeys are for."

"Daad. That's not the point of this entire journey." I retorted with a frown. "I am here to complete my Pokemon journey and complete the Island Challenge, remember?"

"That's for sure. But trust me sweetie, the journey is nothing but the tip of the iceberg, trust me. When it's over and you think back on what you have gone through, Pokemon battles won't be what you'll remember the most." he said in a dreamy voice.

"That remains to be seen." I said, though I could see what he meant. I leaned on a wooden post as I watched Ash, Lillie, Mallow and the entire group cheering and laughing at the Pokemon racing on the track they had made while we waited for Professor Kukui to arrive. I was standing on the side so the conversation I was having with my dad wouldn't be drowned under their loud screams. Fortunately, there weren't a lot of people on the harbor and the few there was were amused at the sight.

From what I could see, Ash's and my Litten were having a fierce competition whereas Pikachu was taking the lead, followed closely by Sophocles' Togedemaru. Lillie's Snowy was last, trying to run as fast as he could.

"Sabretooth! Aim for Pikachu!" I yelled to have my Pokemon focus on the true goal of the race over his petty feud with a fellow Litten. I was pleased to see him letting go of the other Litten to dash toward the yellow mouse Pokemon.

"Sorry dad, I am back. Sabretooth is racing with the other Pokemon of the group. I needed to cheer him on." I explained with a toothy smirk.

"That's what I came to understand," he said, rubbing his ear. "Next time, make sure your phone isn't too close to your mouth. Is your… hm… What is it called again?"

"Litten?" I teasingly offered in a sneer.

"Yeah. Litten. Is he winning?"

"Not really." I answered, looking up at the running Pokemon. Sabretooth was still third, running with Ash's Litten on his heels, but gaining on Pikachu and Togedemaru and soon catching up with the grey and white electric Pokemon. "But he is doing his best to."

"If he is half as determined as his trainer, I'd say that it's quite a lot already." he joked. Then he turned around and I could faintly hear mom's voice. "Ok, Vanessa, I'll ask her." he turned back to me. "Your mom would like to know, about that trip with your friends, do you know what you'll be doing there?"

"I am not sure." I admitted, rubbing my midnight black hair. "But I am sure it's going to be loads of fun!" I shouted, clutching my hand into a fist. "And I'll have a blast with these trials and beat them all."

"From what you said, you've made a good start in this direction! You've been there for only a few days and you are already moving. And you got two more Pokemon to your team."

"Did you expect any less from me?" I teased. I suddenly looked up when I heard fighting noise. I didn't know what had happened, but there was some tension in the air. The two fire felines and the two electric mice were facing each other, glaring and hissing as if ready to battle, the race forgotten. "Gimme a sec, dad." I said to the phone, hurrying to the race field, ready to intervene before anything bad happened.

Strangely enough, and to everyone surprise, it was Lillie who eased the tension with her sweet and calm voice.

"Snowy won the race!" she announced, pointing at her white Vulpix crossing the finish line with a soft smile and emitting a gentle yelping noise. Mallow and Lana exchanged glances and cheered the small Alolan Pokemon and his trainer.

"See, if you hadn't lost time quarreling, you'd have been the one to win." I told Sabretooth in a half reproaching tone, half amused tone.

"You wish. Pikachu would have won! Or Litten." Ash retorted smiling broadly, his Pikachu taking his usual place on his trainer's shoulder. "Hey look!" he added, preventing me from coming up with a nice come back to his assertion.

I looked in the direction he was pointing and saw Professor Kukui. But he wasn't alone. A dark skinned woman with an immense amount of jewelry on was walking towards us. She was wearing a light yellow jacket over a pink top and very short pink shorts. Her short dark hair flew into the wind, a big pink jewel earring glistening in the bright Alolan sun. She really wasn't ashamed by her body at all. She could very well be walking on some catwalk as a star with the spotlights on her. Or so I thought until ... she tripped.

"Jade? What's going on?" I could hear my father asking through the phone.

"The Kahuna is here… I think. Well, I think that's her…" I mumbled to him, watching professor Kukui helping the woman getting back on her feet. She didn't look to be injured.

"What do you mean, you 'think'?" he asked in pure puzzlement.

"Well… I didn't expect a Kahuna to look like her." I answered in a whisper.

"And what does she look like?"

"I'll send you a picture later," I quickly said while everyone greeted their teacher and his friend with the Alolan greeting. "I have got to go."

"Talk to you soon. Love you dear."

"Love you dad." I muttered before hanging up just in time for the woman to make her own Alolan greeting.

"Alola everyone." she said loudly with shining eyes. "Are you all ready to go on Akala Island?" she exclaimed loudly.

"YEAH!" we all answered, causing her to laugh joyfully at the power of our voices. "I am impressed, Professor Kukui!" she said, turning to him. "These kids of yours are sure raring to go!"

"And I am ready to beat you in a Grand Trial!" Ash blurted out.

"Ash! You're getting ahead of yourself again! You two literally just met." Mallow stated with a grin. "You're so in a hurry?"

"That's Ash for you!" Sophocles added in, making Ash laugh sheepishly and rub the back of his neck.

"Besides, _I_ will be the one to beat her first!" I claimed, frowning at Ash.

"Oh, you think so?" Ash countered, looking defiantly at me. A fake cough broke our duel of glare.

"Alright, class! I'd like to officially introduce the Kahuna of Akala Island, Olivia." Professor Kukui announced. "She had been here on Mele Mele Island for business reason and will travel back to Akala with us."

"Thank you, professor." the Kahuna gently said, nodding to him. She clapped her hands together once, making sure our attention was on her. "So, before anything, I would like you to tell me what you know about Akala Island." she declared, placing her hands on her hip in a gesture full of assurance.

As if he had been waiting for it his entire life, Kiawe's hand sprang up to the air, causing Olivia to burst into laughter and some confusion into me. Olivia forcefully coughed to gather her composure and with a run of her hand through her hair, she pointed to Kiawe.

"Alright. Go ahead and tell us what you know. And what's your name?" she hummed out sweetly.

"Kiawe." he quickly answered before going on with what he knew. "Tapu Lele is the guardian of the island. The power of its scales is said to be able to heal people's wounds as well as to restore their energy. However it's also dangerous to touch to many of its scales at once. People also says that its power comes from plants and flowers though some believe it to be cruel and to scatter its scales for the sole purpose of watching human destroying one another. There is also a legend that claims Tapu Lele ended a war between the different islands of Alola by healing the wounded warriors."

"A few of the best locations include Brooklet Hills. Though what is most noticeable about it isn't the hill but the three lakes and many ponds that are linked together. Lots of fishermen or Water type Pokemon lovers go there for the unique fauna.

There is also the forest aptly named 'Lush Jungle' and is the home of many Grass and Bug type Pokemon. It's also the place to go to find some of the rarest berries.

Last but not least is the Wela Volcano. A festival is held there every year during which trainers can have their Pokemon wear what is called the 'Wela Crown'. It is rumored it can boost the power of the Pokemon who wears it. There is also the Wela Volcano Park where Rock, Ground and Fire type Pokemon can be found." he eventually stopped to take his breath and I took advantage of it.

"It sounds like fun." I commented with a smirk. "But do you know anything about the Totems of the islands, Kiawe?" I asked with immense curiosity. To my dismay, he shook his head.

"Unfortunately, I don't. Sorry Jade."

"There is nothing to be ashamed of, Kiawe." The Kahuna said in her soft voice. "I am actually amazed that you know so much about Akala."

"I live here," he confessed, looking embarrassed for some reasons. "My parents own a farm on there."

"That's great. You've had time to learn a lot about it." she complimented the tall and dark skinned teenager whose cheeks turned darker as he was blushing.

"Yeah," I nodded. "And when we get there, we'll find who are the totems and I will whoop them." I exclaimed. I saw Professor Kukui rolling his eyes though Kahuna Olivia laughed, most likely amused at my determination, and also perhaps by my language.

"That we shall see." she replied with a wink after she had regained her composure. She then slipped her hand into her jacket's pocket and pulled out a tiny brown back she handed to Kiawe.

"Please, can you pass this to everyone? These are some handmade accessories I created for you all. Pick the one you prefer." she said cheerfully. Kiawe emptied the bag into his hand and several bracelets fell on his wide palm. They were made with colorful stones and jewels, red, purple, yellow, white, blue, pink and, of course, green. I hustled to Lillie who was taking the white bracelet (made of pearls I believed) and snatched the green one that I slipped it on my wrist before anyone could claim it.

"What do you think?" I asked, showing off the sparkling jade bracelet, oblivious to the sudden awkward silence. I was really pleased as it matched my dog collar and its pure green jade jewel.

"It looks great on you. Suits you perfectly." Olivia chimed in. I nodded with a small giggle in my voice, tightening the bracelet all the while.

"Thank you Kahuna! And thank you for the gift!"

"You're welcome. You're all welcome!" She said, turning to the other who were finishing choosing their own bracelet. "Now this is done, what do you say we head out?" Olivia asked, eyeing at Professor Kukui.

"When you are ready." he answered with a smile.

"ALRIGHT!" Ash bellowed. I winced at Ash's powerful shout, yet I couldn't deny I was pretty much as excited as he was. The only downside was that the boat we were to take was too small. So I couldn't travel with _Ferocity_ and had to leave my bike at the Police Station until I came back from Akala Island. I was a bit worried about what could happen to it, but the call for adventure was much to powerful to miss it.


	22. On Board to New Adventures

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**On board to new adventures**

The boat belonged to Professor Kukui, he used it to travel around the archipelago for his study or during his leisure time. It was slightly worn out, though I reassured myself thinking that he'd not use it if he wasn't certain it wasn't going to sink.

Beside, even though it didn't look brand new, once we were all onboard, our Pokemon included, we had a lot of rooms for ourselves without feeling cramped. And, what was best was that it went at a fast speed. And I was sure it could go faster.

"Hey, Professor Kukui!" I called in a loud voice to be heard over the loud engine and the wind blowing throughout everyone's hair. "Can we speed this baby up? We're going too slow!"

But the professor shook his head. "No."

"Why not? Don't you want us to start our field trip sooner?"

"Oh, that's not the problem." he answered. "Look." He pointed over at brown shapes, sharp and nasty looking rocks, getting out of the water. "We could crash against these if we were to go too fast. And I don't think any of us could swim all the way to Akala… Well, except for Lana maybe. Besides, we could also hit those surfers."

'Those surfers' weren't actually using a surfboard as I primarily thought when I looked at them, but Mantine! They were surfing on Mantine! Using the tall and powerful waves to raise through the air to the point the Mantine seemed to be flying and gliding. Those who were the most daring performed moves and looping.

"That looks so great! Why didn't you tell me about it?" I excitedly asked.

"I guess the topic never crossed my mind. Though you could have asked Nurse Joy, I am sure she'd have been more than happy to share the information." he answered with his usual soft smile.

His mentioning the women who run the Pokemon Center brought me to the battle I had yesterday. And Justice's hesitation.

"Say, Professor. You have witnessed when I challenged Ash's Rowlet with Justice."

"Yes, I even was the referee, if you recall. So?"

"Do you know why he didn't obey my command at the end?" I have been thinking about this for a while and I couldn't figure out what had happened. I had asked him to use 'Wing Attack', and he hadn't followed my order, costing us the victory, I was sure of it.

"Hm… Can you find Ash's Rotom-Dex and bring him here?" the professor asked, his attention focused on the ocean.

"Sure, professor." I answered, a bit surprised by the request. It didn't take me too long to find Ash and his Rotom-Dex. I was on my way to the deck of the ship where I noticed Kahuna Olivia. She seemed to be crying, listening to Ash, and petting his Litten who was in her arms. I felt some jealousy as Sabretooth was still rather opposed to petting and didn't hesitate to bite or claw my hands whenever I tried to brush his fur. For now, my little black and red fire fur ball was quietly grooming himself, for a change.

"Ash? What did you do now?" I exclaimed harshly while marching in his direction. "How did you manage to upset a Kahuna?"

"It's… It's fine, Jade." she said through sobs. I was surprised she knew my name. But I shrugged it off, Ash must certainly have told her what my name was. "He was just telling me about his Litten and… and how he got him… This poor baby has been through so much!" she cried in a shaky sob.

I grumbled a bit under my breath and looked at Gaïa who was still sitting on my shoulder. I had heard about Ash's Litten and his story with that huge Stoutland in that abandoned house in the middle of nowhere. It was a moving story, that was for sure, but this… It was overreacting.

"Yes," I still answered. "Both our Litten had sad back story." I evasively said, kneeling down to pet Sabretooth. However he didn't look at me, his attention focused on the Litten up in Olivia's arms. My Fire Pokemon meowed and hopped onto Ash's laps. I opened my mouth to call back Sabretooth but Ash shook his head, signaling that it was okay and didn't mind it. I sighed loudly. It may be alright for Ash, it didn't mean it was for me. Yet I couldn't take my Pokemon back as Olivia clasped her hands together, still sniffling.

"Both of these Litten are pure angels!" she said.

"Angels?" I repeated sarcastically. My hands and the scars on it begged to differ. Olivia nodded with a tiny laugh.

"Of course they are. They care for each other, Jade! That's obvious."

"Yeah… Of course they do." I agreed with a nod. "They are buddies, even though they don't hang out a lot with each other… Ya know… Litten being loners and all… By the way, Ash, can I take Rotom? Professor Kukui asked me to bring it to him."

"Me?" Rotom-Dex asked in his high pitched robotic voice. "Does he need me?"

"Oh, sure." Ash agreed.

"Thank you. Com'on Rotom." I said, getting down the small flight of stairs leading to the steering wheel. "I am back Prof."

"Hm? Oh, that's great! Now, Rotom, can you play the battle between Jade's Rufflet and Ash's Rowlet?"

"What? You've recorded it too?" I exclaimed. "Why?"

"For the same reason I recorded your Pokemon's hatching." Rotom answered matter-of-factly as images of my most recent battle appeared on the screen located on its 'torso'. "It's always useful for future reference."

"Whatever…" I crossed my arms over my chest. "How is this supposed to explain why Rufflet didn't follow my order?" I asked Kukui, as I watched the replay of the battle, with Justice and Rowlet flying at one another up to the point Ash's bird Pokemon used his Razor Leaf move.

"_Wing Attack! Cut right through them!" _I heard myself saying to Justice, my voice sounding strange to my ear, distorted and unnatural.

"Here is why your Rufflet didn't obey you." Professor Kukui finally said.

"What?" I asked, raising a brow. "I told him to use Wing Attack."

"No, you said 'Wing Attack' and 'Cut'. Your Pokemon knows Wing Attack and Cut. For him, you were telling him to use two different moves at once, so he didn't understand what you wanted."

"Oh… I guess it makes sense… Justice is still young… It's normal he doesn't know or understand everything." In itself, it was actually a wonder he understood the move names I asked him to use. "I'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Thank you professor."

"No worry."

"Oh, Professor…" I stopped in my track and turned around "Are we there yet?" I asked with a giggle as I was leaving, making him laugh, soon joined by Rotom-Dex.

My giggle soon faded as I reached the deck and the bow of the boat where Lillie was staying, watching the waves, with her Vulpix sitting on her laps. I dropped beside them.

"Hey! You're not seasick, are you?" I asked loudly.

"Eh? Oh, no." she answered so quietly that I had to lip-read to understand what she was saying. "I was just… thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

For a while, she remained silent and I didn't break the silence even though I was growing restless by the minute. I supposed her brother was taking all her mind, and I too wondered where Gladion could be now. Was he still in Mele Mele Island?

"Have you met Gladion?" Lillie finally spoke.

"Huh? Yeah.. Yes I have!" I said with excitement in my voice, remembering the early battle I had against him. "He agreed to meet me and go against Gaïa." My Snivy stuck out her chest proudly. "It was a difficult battle, but I think we did manage very well even though we lost."

"Hm…" Lillie looked away. "Gladion has always been a good trainer. Much better than I. Would you believe that, when I was little, I wanted to be as strong a trainer as he was? I dreamed of having a Pokemon battle against him…" Her already low voice trailed off and I couldn't make out anything she was saying. Though she got me curious. How could someone as Lillie, so well-behaved, soft spoken and, above all, afraid of Pokemon, have ever dreamt of being a Pokemon trainer?

However that was some information I wasn't meant to know as the boat suddenly swerved and we heard screams coming from the stern of the ship. Lillie and I raced to there to see Ash, Mallow, Lana leaning over the fence.

"What happened?" Kiawe asked, followed by Sophocles.

"It's the Kahuna!" Lana said, pointing at the water. "She was standing close to the fence and she bumped and fell in the water."

"She what? Sophocles, go tell the Prof to stop the boat!" The small overweight boy passed by me to do as he was told as I looked at the ocean. "Olivia!" Kiawe hollered out.

The Kahuna popped out from the clear water and laughed joyfully, waving her hand. I could see she wasn't wearing her yellow jacket anymore. And she seemed to be quite enjoying her unexpected swim.

"Come on in! The water feels great." she laughed carelessly. Of course, it was all that Lana required to climb on the fence and elegantly dive in the water below after she had thrown her sandals aside. She was soon followed by Ash and Pikachu's dive-bomb. I huffed out an annoyed 'You've got to be kidding me' under my breath.

"I guess the travel to Akala will take longer than expected." Kukui's pleased voice said behind me. "I should have known this would happen." His presence here explained the lack of move from the boat.

"Come with us. You were so impatient, adventure starts now!" Mallow said to me as she was getting undressed.

"I know… And I want to. But my clothes will be drenched, and I don't intend on catching a cold any time soon."

"That's why we told you to bring your swimsuit!" Under her usual overalls, she was wearing a green and pink swimsuit that fitted her rather well.

"I also don't want to lose this baby." I countered, clutching my collar and its jewel, trying to get some comfort from the touch.

"Then take it off!" Sophocles butted in.

"I… I can't!" I said, shaking my head. "I… I feel insecure without it." I confessed, blushing much harder than I wanted.

"Jade, you're not saying you'll stay here on the boat while all of us are having fun in the water!" Mallow sternly said. "Look at Ash and Lana! They're enjoying themselves." She was telling the truth, both of them were happily swimming around, Pikachu resting on his trainer's head. A splash erupted when Kiawe jumped in the water to join them under the Kahuna's clear laugh.

"I don't believe it…" I sighed. "Don't tell me you're going with them Sophocles!" I exclaimed.

"Sure am!" he replied. He had removed his shoes and pants, though he kept his wide shirt with the orange device printed on it. However he didn't climb over the fence but took the steps on the other side of the boat and jumped. Or rather did a belly flop and swam to where the other were. Amazingly enough, he seemed rather comfortable and swift in water.

"You're not going to let Sophocles be more adventurous than you are, right Jade?" Mallow teased with a wink. She knew how to get to me and what nerve to hit. It was even worse when Marie decided on her own to leave her Pokeball where I thought she was sleeping and hop into the water.

"Tu quoque, Marie?" I exhaled, though I was smiling.

"Or she could stay with me." Lillie's soft voice interrupted. She was barefooted and not wearing her usual white dress anymore. Instead she was wearing a blue and white bikini with a short – and white – beach towel tied around her waist. She was also wearing the white bracelet she had gotten from Olivia. "Would you?"

"No problem!" I eagerly accepted, grateful for the escape. Besides, maybe we could resume what we were talking about earlier.

"Suit yourself." Mallow said with a shrug. "It's just a shame you don't take this opportunity."

"I'll. Later." I promised. To be more at ease, I removed my leather jacket and boots. Now the boat was unmoving, the wind wasn't blowing anymore and the sun was shining as bright and hot as ever. "I should have brought some sunscreen." I complained as I could feel my fair skin burning under the sun rays.

"I have some of that." Lillie exclaimed with a bright smile, fetching her big white bag where she rummaged for a while and proudly extracted a small orange bottle. "Here! Let me!" she moved to remove my shirt, but I didn't let her. I even moved a few inches away.

"That's… nice of you. But I can do it on my own."

"No prob…" The bottle Lillie was handing me escaped her hands when a new and stronger swerve of the boat made us lose our balance and almost caused me to fall face first on the deck.

"Professor! What's going on?" I called. Even down in the water, our friends were suddenly not laughing and having fun.

"I am not sure…" came the replies from my left. "There must be something bumping against the boat."

I looked over in the water, Ash, the Kahuna, Kiawe… All of them were here, but holding their head as if they were in pain. Even their Pokemon, from Pikachu down to my little Marie, looked sick. I raced to the other side of the boat, trying not to fall again, even though the boat was tossing about.

And that's where I noticed what was responsible for all these erratic move: a Wailmer, only the top third of his body showing out of the water. It was bumping against the boat again and again as if it couldn't see it, or even feel it.

"Gaïa, try to change its direction with your vines!" I commanded her. My Snivy hopped onto the fence, already growing her vine and directing them towards the big Water Pokemon and pushed its big muzzle to the side. Or that was what I had in mind. Yet, no matter what, the Wailmer would still go back to push the boat.

"Here!" Lillie exclaimed, pointing at something in the water. I was about to say that I had seen the Wailmer when I noticed she wasn't even looking in its direction.

"What's that?" I wondered out loud when I saw a pink, oddly and rather ugly patterned fish with gnarly – and sharp looking –teeth.

"Bruxish!" Rotom-Dex answered.


	23. An Ocean Rescue

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**An Ocean Rescue**

"Bruxish?" I repeated. "What do you know about this Pokemon?" I asked Rottom-Dex.

"Huh… Bruxish, the Gnash Teeth Pokemon." He answered, speaking at a fast pace. He had pulled up a picture of the multi coloured fish Pokemon and I thought it looked ugly. And vicious. A small information tag in the bottom left of the screen specified that Bruxish was Water and Psychic type. "It uses the protuberance on its head to unleash its psychic powers, confusing them. It can also stunts its prey with psychokinesis… Its fangs are powerful enough to break a Shellder's shell… It also grinds its teeth while using his psychic powers, emitting a powerful and disturbing noise all around that can give headache to those who are close enough."

This explained what my friends and the Kahuna were going through. As Lillie and I were still on board the ship, the noise hadn't reached us. Still, it'd not save us from the Wailmer who was readily trying to topple the boat, keeping on pushing it to the side.

"We have to stop this Bruxish from using its Psychic powers for a second." I told Lillie. "It's the only way to get our friends out of whatever is happening to them and to stop the Wailmer from crashing into the boat."

"But how?" she asked, hugging her beloved Snowy close to her chest.

"Easy," I said with a smirk. "Let's battle it! Gaïa, you ready my girl?" Of course she was, and she proved it by jumping down my shoulder to the railing of the ship. Fortunately for now, the Bruxish hadn't noticed us. "I'll deal with it, try and move Wailmer away." I didn't wait for Lillie to answer and pointed at the fish Pokemon.

"Use Magical Leaf!"I commanded my Snivy who obeyed on the spot and took a good aim at the fish in the water, moving her tail at top speed, leaves of purple pink appearing around her. She swiftly made a gesture with her tail towards her opponent, sending the projectiles in its direction. Unfortunately, due to refraction of water, none of the leaves hit the Bruxish but they all fade in the water. "Damn." I swore.

And I emitted an even worse swearword when I got pushed aside by a light brown shape. The four legged Pokemon used the railing as support and dropped into the water, hitting the weirdly coloured Pokemon on the head. It hissed, grinding its teeth once again. I couldn't hear it, but the Pokemon that had attacked winced and was now moaning of pain. I recognized it as a Lycanroc. However, unlike Gladion's, this one was white and light brown and walked on all four. A midday Lycanroc.

"Gaïa, we've got to help him! Gaïa?" I looked around but my Snivy was nowhere to be seen. I leaned over the railing and spotted her, gracefully swimming. She must have fallen when Lycanroc had made his move. I smirked. Even though she wasn't a water type Pokemon, her serpentine body was at ease in the sea. "That's my girl!" I greeted her.

"Jade!" I heard from down bellow. As the Lycanroc had successfully hit the Bruxish on its protuberance, it wasn't using its Psychic abilities anymore for now and my friends as well as the Kahuna were now coming. I saw the Lycanroc swimming away to Olivia who petted him on its head.

"The Bruxish is responsible for it!" I told her, pointing at the Wailmer who had calmed down to my, and Lillie's, relief.

"I know." she said. "And now we've attacked it, it's bound to retaliate. And not alone. So be ready!"

"We are ready!" Ash claimed, his Pikachu standing proud on his trainer's head.

"Hm.. Ash!" Lillie called, her soft voice hardly loud enough to be heard by our friends bellow. "Don't use electric move in water!"

"What?"

"Don't use your Pikachu's thunder moves." I yelled louder. "It could be dangerous for all of you!"

"So, what do we do?" Ash asked, sounding disappointed.

"You stay out of trouble!" Lana commanded in a strangely firm voice that didn't exactly sound like her usual tone of voice. "Jade, can you send me the Pokeball that's in my pants pocket?"

"Take mine too!" Mallow said.

"Sure thing…" I rushed towards the end of the boat where the blue haired girl had left her clothes, carelessly scattered on the deck. I wasn't pleased to obey her as a mere errand girl, but I knew when to lay my ego aside. And this was one of these moments. "Here it…!" I was saying dashing back to them. But the words I was saying jammed into my throat. When I left, there had been only one Bruxish. Now there were like… half a dozen of them.

"I didn't know they worked in school!" I exclaimed out loud.

"Neither did I!" Rotom-Dex answered excitedly, taking picture.

"Rotom! Now isn't the time!" My friends and the Kahuna were trying to keep them at bay but it was complicated. They were outnumbered: Pikachu couldn't use his powerful electric moves and was trying to fight them off with his Iron Tail move. Unfortunately, it wasn't that efficient, as Bruxish were in their element and quite swifter than the yellow Pokemon. I threw the Pokeball to their respective trainer who thanked me with a wave of their hands before throwing their device open, revealing a Popplio and a Steenee.

"Popplio, go to the Wailmer!" Lana commanded her Pokemon. The blue and white Pokemon swam to the stuck whale and he inhaled deeply underwater. Then, a huge bubble appeared, shielding the Wailmer from the Bruxish.

"Lana! What's the bubble about?" I asked her.

"Wailmer is too weak to swim on its own." she explained. "It'll help him stay afloat and shield him from Bruxish's Psychic abilities."

I didn't quite understand how a _bubble_ would protect a Pokemon from psychic power, but now wasn't the time for such question and explanation. Somehow, it seemed to have worked as the Wailmer suddenly moved away from the boat, letting it get back to its original position. And sending me in the water down bellow as I was still leaning over the railing.

As I was swimming back to the surface, I was glad that I had removed my jacket and boots earlier. I still fiddled to check that my collar was in place. Its cool and comfortable touch sent a reassuring feeling throughout my veins. My hair, now wet and cold flapped onto my neck as I broke through the surface and took a welcomed gulp of air.

"Jade! Are you alright?!"

Lillie! She had managed not to fall as she had been holding tight onto the railing with Snowy. I felt relieved that she was safe. I didn't even know if the light blond haired girl could swim. I answered to her with a thumb up but focused back on the fight at hand.

Lana was making sure that Wailmer was getting away little by little, using her Popplio as a line of defence against the Bruxish who tried to attack the massive Pokemon. I had to admit that this Popplio of her hold his ground. And I could see the same was happening with Mallow's Steenee and, as was to be expected, Olivia's Lycanroc.

I resubmerged when a wave pulled me down. Unfortunately, when it happened, my eyes had been open, and I felt a painful stinging sensation. I screamed out and inhaled some water. I managed to re-emerge and coughed vigorously. But during that split second I had my eyes open in the water, I had noticed some Bruxish paying much too attention to Ash and Kiawe who couldn't defend themselves properly, even though Pikachu and Marie did make their best to prevent the Bruxish from approaching.

"Marie, keep protecting them, Gaïa! Use Tackle!" I commanded. I had also seen that Gaïa hadn't lost time swimming around but had taken advantage of having fallen to attack many of the Bruxish. And she was now dashing towards those attacking the boys. She smashed into the first one, sending it swirling away, to its surprise.

"Good! Now use Magical Leaf!" As she was in water, she'd not be troubled by the refraction and the leaves were bound to touch their targets. And they did! I was pleased to see cuts appear on the fish's body. I was much less so to see all of them turning their back on Ash and Kiawe and rush at Gaïa.

"Leap into the air!" I shout out my command. "And use Magical Leaf to make yourself a barrier!"

My Snivy gained momentum and jumped out of the water, much higher than I had thought she'd manage. She started spinning around, greenish purple and pink leaves appearing all around her and swirling around her white and green serpentine body, shielding her against the Bruxish Water Guns. Yet, I knew it wouldn't be enough. What could we do?

But it seemed I had been uselessly worrying. As I was trying to think of a way to get out of this, and defeat the Bruxish, Gaïa puffed out her chest as she was slowly falling back towards the water. She began to be engulfed in a glimmering blue light.

Her silhouette morphed and grew: her tail lengthened and sparked out two… no three leaved petals, two of them being on her back. With a shout, she extended her hand, throwing off the light to reveal her evolution as well as throw the rest of the magical leaves towards the Bruxish which swam back a bit when she landed on the water, somehow managed to do it in a graceful manner.

Only her green head surfaced and I could see that her neck was now surrounded with a two golden spiked collar. She looked amazing!

"VINE!" Gaïa screeched out, her voice louder but also higher pitched than when she was a Snivy. She flipped into the air, her tail wrapped around her body and the leaves on both her back and tip of her tail glowing green. A huge smile spread on my lips when I came to the realization that she was trying to use Leaf Blade.

She smacked the Bruxish hard when she fell on them, spewing ocean water everywhere. That would require some training until she mastered the move correctly, but it was a good start. Though, for now, it'd be best to stick to the moves she knew to the tip of her tail.

"Use Vine Whip!" From bellow her golden collar, vines of green and yellowish colours came out and spread in the water towards the ugly fish Pokemon, just like tentacles. They reached their target and proceeded to hit and hit them again, on the head and their protuberances in particular, stunning them.

And, out of sudden… The Bruxish emerged… As if they had been leaping out of the water. But against their will for, once they were out in the open air, they flipped around and then, rock boulder _came out of the water_ and smashed the Pokemon, sending them away where they crashed back into the ocean.

"I wasn't sure it'd work!" The Kahuna exclaimed after a loud sigh. "I am glad it did! Lana! How is Wailmer?"

"It's doing fine!" She answered. She was already far away with her Popplio, looking so small in comparison with the Wailmer. "It took the potion alright. It's gonna be good now!"

"What a relief." Mallow said, her Steenee holding onto her trainer's shoulders.

"Kahuna! What did you do?" Ash asked.

"It looked like Rock Slide… But different." Sophocles said.

"It was indeed Rock Slide!" she confirmed. "But I asked Lycanroc to throw the rocks up from the sea floor instead of down."

"Everyone is doing alright down there?" A male voice asked, throwing a rope ladder at us. "Are you ready to get back on board?"

"Yes Professor!" We answered in unison. Though, I wasn't looking up at the professor, all my attention was on Gaïa and her new wonderful appearance. I couldn't help but squeal and embrace her tight. I included Marie in the embrace when she nudged at my shirt, but still, I was so pleased about Gaïa's evolution that it was all I cared about at this moment.

"You evolved, Gaïa! I am SO HAPPY!" I laughed. "If I had known it was going to happen soon, I'd have pushed your training some more."

"Servi..." she merely said, wrapping her body around my shoulders.

"Sorry girl," I commented, seizing the ladder in one hand and Marie in my second. "Lana! Catch!" I hollered to the blue haired girl who was already on board. In a swift gesture, I threw my Tympole to her, to Marie's delight who had a scream of joy as she rose up into the air and landed right into Lana's arms. "I fear you're much too big and heavy for me to carry you on my shoulder as I used to…" I said to Gaïa.

"Ser? Servine!" She hissed.

"Don't be like this…" I mumbled, as I was climbing up, the exercise needing much more effort as Gaïa didn't want to leave my shoulders. I was relieved when she jumped down and I rubbed my painful limbs. Gaïa didn't look any pleased though. "Look… It's awesome that you evolved… You're stronger, faster and you got to learn a new move. But it also means there will be some changes…"

Gaïa was still looking away, upset. I rubbed my wet – and messy I could feel and imagine – midnight hair. What could I do to lift my newly evolved Pokemon's spirit… My eyes fell on the bracelet I had gotten from Olivia. My hand travelled to my necklace… It was still here.

"Here!" I said, taking off the bracelet off my wrist and tying it around Gaïa's neck. "What do you say? You got a necklace on your own!"

Gaïa emitted a humph sort of noise, but I could see she was pleased.

"And once we arrive, we'll train that Leaf Blade move of yours! What do you say? It's going to be useful when we'll battle the Kahuna!. But for now, let's rest!" I said, crashing on one of the benches. I closed my eyes, faking sleeping so none would disturb me, when, in reality, my thoughts were on the Kahuna and how she had battled the Bruxish. She may be a bit clumsy, yet she knew how to fight with her Lycanroc! I had a difficult battle ahead and Gaïa's evolution would be useful indeed if I wanted to successfully complete this challenge.


	24. Training Plan

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Training Plan**

The rest of the way to Akala Island had gone smoothly, and it was for the best. Kiawe jumped off the boat and seized the rope Professor Kukui threw him. He attached it to a mooring post and finally, we were free to disembark. The city seemed to be bursting with life, mostly tourists enjoying their stay and checking the shops that were on the harbor, selling souvenirs and trinkets.

From where I stood, I could see the lighthouse up north, all white with a red tiled roof at the far end of what seemed to be the main street of the city, with shops aligned neatly and perfectly. When Kahuna Olivia got out of the professor's boat, she decided to imitate Kiawe and to jump off of it to the dock. Unfortunately, she slipped and fell down, bringing everyone's attention on us when she emitted a loud cry of pain, followed by a hearty laugh.

"I should have thought it'd happen." she said, getting up and rubbing her outfit clean. "Now, class, you're free to roam the streets. Be back in one hour, then we'll start our first adventure!" She declared happily. "Oh, and don't forget to stop by the jewelry store!" she added with a smile.

"That's great! We can do some shopping!" Mallow exclaimed.

"I think there is a shop where we can buy clothes." Lillie pipped in. I rolled my eyes at this. Of course, you could count on Lillie to know such things.

"Really?" Lana replied. "Perhaps we should go there and buy ourselves new outfits!" she suggested as we all passed under the carved wooden arch marking the entrance of the market place. I grimaced, just as the boys did.

"No, thank you." I said. I really didn't want to change my outfit. "What else is there to do here?" I asked to none in particular.

"Well, there is the Alola Photo Club." Sophocles answered, looking at an information leaflet he had found who knew where.

"What's that?"

"It's a Photography Club."

"Duh… Tell me something I haven't guessed yet." I said impatiently.

"People who go there can take picture with their Pokemon." he explained. "The Pokemon and their trainers can be star. They can chose specific area to shoot the pictures in… If their Pokemon wear a special outfit and they can match it with their own." He read from the leaflet.

"It beats shopping for clothes." I said. It reminded me a bit of the Pokewood studio I had gone to with my class a few years back. I had shot a nice scene with Gaïa and still had the recording at home. This Photo Club most likely wasn't as good as a studio in which you could actually play, but it could be fun all the same. Besides, I had had an idea. It could be nice to take such pictures with my Pokemon and send them to my parents and friends over in Unova. And it'd show them Gaïa's evolution in an unexpected way.

"Alright! Let's do this!" I said. "Where is it?" I asked Sophocles who pointed me in a direction. As I thought, it wasn't as grand as Pokewood, but it was nice. I took several pictures of my Pokemon, individually and as a group, sometimes with them and other time just by themselves. But my favorite was when I had found a leather jacket that fit Gaïa's body size and matched mine. With this and our sorta matching neck chokers, we looked great. We decided to strike a taunting pose.

"I am gonna to send it to my parents!" I proudly said to the other when we left the club. They also had had their turn and I have to admit I have been surprised at how good Kiawe looked when he was wearing 'normal' clothes.

"Here you all are!" Kahuna Olivia greeted us when we arrived at the jewelry store. As it happened, it belonged to her. It'd explain how fantastic the bracelets she had given us were, mine being around Gaïa's neck, were. "Did you have fun?"

"Yes." we all answered excitedly.

"Good! Because that's just the beginning."

"So, what adventure have you planned?" I asked them while I adjusted by backpack, lifting my shoulder for a second to move its position in a quick hard motion.

"First, we're going to go to the Stoutland House to pick up our ride." Professor Kukui announced. They all nodded and I felt a bit jealous. Riding a Stoutland sounded like fun. At the same time, I couldn't help but eye at Lillie. She looked nervous, still determined. I wondered how she'd do. From what I knew, she had never been able to touch any Pokemon except Snowy and Pikachu. She refused to touch even Gaïa or Marie. Or Justice. Still, this shock crept up a smile on my face: Lillie was sure facing her fears with sheer determination. And I liked to think I had a role into this.

"And then? Once you're done riding?" I asked.

"Oh, but riding is only the first part." Kukui said. "We have planned for a treasure hunt."

"A treasure hunt? That sounds so great!" Ash exclaimed. "What are we going to look for?" he asked completely excited.

"That's where the Stoutlands come in." Professor Kukui said. "I believe Jade could tell you a great deal about these Pokemon, right?" He asked, looking at me. I nodded. Of course I knew a lot about them, they came from Unova after all. "What'll matter today is their powerful sense of smell. They'll help you looking for treasure."

"What sort of treasure?" Sophocles asked.

"Akala island is the place where one can find fossils. And those Stoutlands have been raised to locate just that. So your goal will be to find as many fossils as you can."

It sounded boring, but I didn't voice it aloud. I thought of using the Stoutland for a race a much better activity.

"Alright then." I said. "Good luck with the treasure hunt!"

"Wait, you're not coming with us?" Kiawe asked.

"No, I am afraid, I am not." I said. "I know it sounds entertaining, but I want to train before I can face you." I said, pointing at the Kahuna. "Gaïa just evolved and we need to work on Leaf Blade."

"I understand." The Kahuna answered. "It's quite wise on your part." I didn't retort to this, even though I felt upset by her comment. I knew she was right. She was much stronger than I thought.

"So, good luck again! And you better find some good stuff!"

"You bet I will." Ash assured.

"You mean… You bet _WE_ will, Ash!" Mallow corrected him sarcastically. Lana turned her head and gave a fake evil glare to the capped boy.

"You better have meant that, Ash. If you didn't… I predict _bad things_ will happen." Lana hissed a vague threat. Though she most of the time seemed to be shy, I had seen that she could very well be in control earlier, against the Bruxish. So, perhaps did she really mean it. Ash perked up at Lana's menacing look and, with a sheepish laugh, he nodded.

"I mean it. Don't worry. And I mean it every more now!" He laughed out in a nervous frightened tone. I scoffed happily.

"If you say so, Ashy boy." I hummed, winking at him with a sincere and amused smile of sort. "When shall we meet?" I asked Professor Kukui.

"Hm… It'll depend how long it takes…" He answered. "If you don't see us by the boat around 6 this evening, you can go to the Stoutland House. We're likely to be here."

"Alright. See you around." I said, waving at them with a flick of my hand off of the side of my head. With them heading off, I went to the Pokemart to refurnish my potion supplies as well as get some food. I didn't want to travel back and forth from the place of training and the city. That'd be a waste of time.

While on my way there, Gaïa stood proudly at my side, walking elegantly and sticking out her chest to make sure her collar was visible to everyone.

"Proud girl, aren't you?" I jokingly said as we entered the Pokemart. Fortunately, there weren't a lot of people inside. And it was logical. Most people on the island were tourists. Only the locals would shop Pokemon battle related stuff. And me, of course.

I chose several potions of various effect, one couldn't be so sure of the Pokemon that could spring up, as well as enough sandwiches to feed me and my Pokemon twice. I was heading to the counter to pay for it all when I noticed a hunched figure that I instantly recognized. And even more the figure of the boy at its side.

"Hey! Gladion!" I called the blond haired boy. He didn't do anything to show that he had heard me calling him. So, I made a beeline for him and tapped him on the shoulder. And only then did he turn to face me. "Hey Gladion!" I repeated. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well… hello." he said flatly.

"Jade. My name is Jade." I introduced myself, now admitting that I had never had the occasion to tell him what my name was.

Not that the information seemed to interest him anyway for just shrugged and seemed to be about to go on his way.

"Does Lillie know you are here?" I asked. That made him stop in his track.

"Why do you ask?" he grunted.

"Because she is here on Akala.!" I informed him. He raised a brow at me, clearly surprised.

"No, she doesn't." he answered at last. "And don't you dare to tell her."

"I won't because you asked it gently." I teased him. "I didn't expect to see you here." I went on.

He shrugged at my comment.

"I can say the same about you." he bluntly replied. "What are you doing here?" He asked me sternly.

"It happens I am heading towards the hills to train my Pokemon." I answered with a smirk of pride. I placed my hands on my hips and moved aside, showing him Gaïa in her newly evolved form and glory.

"So your Pokemon evolved. It was about time."

Gaïa certainly remembered her fight against Gladion's Lycanroc and headed to it to stand right in front of his muzzle. She had a toothy smirk on her face. But the Lycanroc didn't react at all to her overstepping his boundaries. He merely kept glaring at her, breathing deeply. Gaïa frowned at the Lycanroc's lack of expression and reaction.

"You can tell your Servine that we're not going to fall for her taunt." he told me bluntly, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Gaïa. Stop it." I tell her. "What about a rematch?" I suggested. "Gaïa had evolved. It won't be as easy to defeat her as before. And it could be a nice training for both of us."

"Why do you think I am here to train?" he retorted.

"Come on, Gladion. I am not that stupid!" I exclaimed. "Don't you think I saw the scratches and bruises on your Pokemon? Either you've been beating them or you've been training."

"Supposedly… Why would I want to train with you?" he asked sternly. "I don't know you."

"No. But you saw what I was capable of!" I countered. "And I thought it'd be nice to train with a strong boy like you!" I thought that at least this argument paired with a compliment would be effective. Unfortunately, it wasn't. Gladion only shook his head.

"I'd rather not."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want." he snapped.

"Alright. I have a last argument."

"Yes?"

"Either we train together or I call Lillie to tell her you are here." I threatened him. I didn't know why I did that, but if it would be what it take to get close to him, I'd not mind using dirty tricks. I wanted to get to the bottom of things between that sulky boy and sweet Lillie. Besides, I was bluffing. I didn't have Lillie's number. But that, Gladion couldn't know.

"You wouldn't!"

"You think?" I took my pokegear and placed my thumb on a digit. "If I press this button, it'll speed dial Lillie's number. Would you imagine the conversation? Yo, Lille? It's me. You'll never guess who I happened to stumble upon…"

"Alright, fine." He eventually relented. "We can train together."

"See. It wasn't that hard." I said with a smile, oblivious to his frown and glare as well as his Lycanroc's low growl.


	25. Exchanging Information

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Exchanging Informations**

Our journey to the hills where we had decided we would be training – or actually, the place where Gladion had been training earlier today and where he was taking us – was really quiet. I could feel the hostility radiating from my blonde-haired temporary companion as we walked side by side through an unmarked nature path that passed through a small forest.

The forest trees towered over us with their leaves gently fluttering from the small breeze that brushed through them. Various bird Pokemon chirped out with them while some flew from the branches into the vast clear blue sky. The forest floor remained calm and serene though, unaware of the tension going on between the two human beings coming through. Gaïa seemed elated at the walk as her attention shifted from one point to the next making her flutter around. To the point that my smile turned into a giggle.

"May I know what's so funny?" Gladion grumpily asked.

"This weather is beautiful!" I joyfully answered him. "I haven't felt a weather like this in a _long_ while!" I remarked out loud, stretching my arms above my head. I saw Gladion glancing at me for a short second then he lifted his head to the sky and sighed out.

"This isn't anything out of the ordinary."

"To you, maybe not. To me, it is!" I countered, my voice still bouncing out with glee. "I assure you that more often than not Pinwheel Forest isn't as calm as this! And the weather here is nothing like in Unova! Don't you agree, Gaïa?" I asked my Servine. She turned to look at me when she heard her name but quickly returned to her latest center of interest, some huge red flower, inhaling the sweet sense it certainly emitted. I laughed under my breath.

"Guess I'll take that as a 'yes', then." I commented quietly to myself, running my hand through my midnight hair that the breeze slightly swept. This hadn't seemed to have any impact on Gladion as he kept his eyes straight forward on the path we are taking. His Lycanroc just followed him, in his action and attitude. I shook my head.

"How long have you had your Lycanroc for?" I asked him. Gladion slipped his hands into his pant pockets and sighed again.

"Why do you ask?"

"It seems to have taken a lot after you." I commented. When I said that, Gladion turned his head to stare at his mahogany Pokemon and rested his hand on the hunched creature's back.

"I don't see the problem with it."

"I never said there was." I replied. "I was merely stating a fact. When I was in school, my teachers said that the longer the Pokemon stayed with their trainers, the more they adopted their trainer's behavior and attitude. And it's true! I saw that with my Snivy. Hey!" I exclaimed suddenly. "Wanna guess how long I have had Gaïa?"

"No!"

"Aww, come on, Gladion. Don't sulk. I am trying to ease the tension here. Help me a bit."

"There would be no tension to ease if you haven't forced yourself on this trip." he retorted, causing me to pout.

"Fair enough. But I am not about to leave! And as you don't want to guess, I'll tell you. I have had her for seven years now." I announced.

"Seven years, huh… And why did it take you so long to make her evolve then?" He asked. I found it an improvement. At least he was listening to what I was saying.

"I didn't go on a Pokemon journey as most children do when they become of age. My parents… or rather, my father, didn't want to let me go." I admitted with a sigh. "I still got Gaïa from Professor Juniper though." When she heard her name again, Gaïa looked at me and squealed out. "Dad said we'd train together, but in the end, we couldn't to it as often as I'd have wished as his job was – and still is – quite time taking."

"And you couldn't do it on your own?"

"I tried. But it didn't quite work out." I replied with a laugh. "I didn't know a lot about Pokemon training, even with my classes. So, most of the time, any training session we had simply finished in us hanging out as if we were siblings… See, I am an only child and with the years, all my friends eventually left to go on their journey or study elsewhere. So my Pokemon basically became my sisters." I added, a bit sheepishly.

"That's a quite interesting story… I can see where they get their attitude. Can't say I am surprised." Gladion remarked.

"Hey! What do you mean?" I wasn't sure if I was to feel offended or not as he hadn't been vulgar or anything. Actually, his tone of voice had been quite flat.

"Nothing more than what I just said." he answered with a shrug.

"I guess… Well, I caught… found Marie about one year after I got Gaïa. I was playing in the park and Gaïa had been getting close to the water. Back then, she didn't always obey me so I had to go get her. That's when I slipped and fell into the pond. And found Marie."

"You could have recalled your Snivy into her Pokeball."

"I could, that's for sure." I agreed. "But I didn't. As I said, Gaïa is like a sister to me. I'd not put my sister in a Pokeball if I can help it. Don't you agree?" Gladion nodded in firm understanding. I guess that my talk about sister got to him.

"So, what about your Lycanroc?" I asked to break the silence that had rose again between us.

"I caught him like this a few years ago." he eventually replied.

"As a Lycanroc? I'd have thought you'd have caught him as a Rockruff." I said, crossing my arms over my chest as I cast a glance at the red bipedal Pokemon.

"You thought wrong."

"But you two are so much in sync. Like me and Gaïa." I insisted. There certainly was more to it than only Gladion randomly encountering a Lycanroc and catching it. "I can't believe you only had it for 'a few years'."

"I didn't say it was the case."

I waited in silence, expecting him to expand, but he didn't add anything else.

"So…?"

"So I knew Lycanroc when he was just a Rockruff." Gladion said, or rather grunted. "He lived in the park in… whatever. He lived there and I spent a lot of time with him and my Eevee." he explained in a fast pace as if he wanted to be over with it. "We had some playful battle sessions… And some much less playful. Eventually he evolved and … before I left for my journey, I caught him. Are you satisfied?"

"I… My, that was quite the story Gladion. Thank you for sharing it." I wondered where did Lillie fit into it though. Did she attend their sparring sessions or had Lillie already been afraid to touch Pokemon at that time? I remembered she said she wanted to become a Pokemon trainer like Gladion. I was about to ask him when Gaïa suddenly dashed away to the hill top. With the mix of a chuckle and a sigh, I ran after her until I joined her on the peak of a large grassy hill. Actually, the hill was tall enough to overlook Konikoni City, located quite far off.

"My… We did walk quite a bit." I exclaimed, taking in the breath-taking view. "Alright everyone. Out to train!" I said after a while, turning my back to the beautiful panorama and taking my Pokeballs out. Sabertooth, Justice and Marie all appeared in a bright light, as excited as I was.

"And what have you planned for training?" Gladion asked as he finally arrived. I was surprised though. I almost had supposed he'd take Gaïa's running ahead with me behind her as a way out of the forced training session and go on his own way.

"We need to come with a plan to defeat the totem Pokemon and, ultimately, the Kahuna!" I announced. "I know she uses Rock Type Pokemon." I went on, recalling her midday Lycanroc she had used on the boat trip. "I know Justice isn't the best match up against Rock type Pokemon," I said, turning to my Rufflet who had landed on a branch and was looking at me from above. "But I'd like him to master that Rock Tomb move."

"Ah, and that's why you asked if you could stick with me." he sarcastically said.

"Well… No!" I replied. "Not only." I corrected myself. "I didn't think of this _before_ I saw your Lycanroc in the Pokemart anyway. I don't even know if your Pokemon knows Rock Tomb. You haven't used it during our battle."

"As a matter of fact, he does…" Gladion informed me.

"So, can you help me with it?"

"I have my own training to do." he retorted.

"And what are you wishing to train him to master?" I asked, curious. Now I thought of it, Gladion hadn't told me what sort of training he had had with his Pokemon before I crossed his past. Well, I hadn't asked him either. But the blond haired boy didn't answer to me right away. Instead, he took a pokeball out and an Umbreon appeared.

"Oh! You have an Umbreon!"

"I said I had an Eevee, didn't I? Well, it evolved."

"I see that! And I start to see quite a pattern here." I added with a bright elated smile. "You have a thing for the night, don't you? First a Middnight Lycanroc, then a night-time Eeveelution…"

"Maybe," he answered, looking away. Though, I was sure that, before he turned his face, I saw the faintest of smile.

"And what do you want to teach your Umbreon?" I asked, trying to refocus. And prevent Sabretooth to climb the tree Justice was in to attack him.

"Iron Tail."

"I think I can help you with that!" I proudly said.

"Really? How?" he asked, surprised.

"Easy! Gaïa, com'ere my girl." Gaïa, who had been wandering off again, running after some red petals that the wind had blown up here, elegantly, almost regally, came to us. "Gaïa knows Aqua Tail." And, as if I had given her the command, my Servine's tail glowed a bright blue hue and she aimed it at the tree Justice was resting on. And Sabretooth was still trying to climb, effectively sending my Litten falling on the grass and Rufflet flying away.

Both of my Pokemon who had been disturbed soon regain their composure and, as Gaïa looked at me with innocent eyes, Sabretooth was hissing at her and Justice flew back to his tree branch, though he kept glaring at her. "Well… you saw." I said with a smile, trying not to burst out laughing at my Pokemon's antics.

"I saw… And how is it supposed to help me?"

"Gaïa knows how to focus her might and power in her tail, she could show it to your Umbreon while your Lycanroc help Justice with his Rock Tomb. I'd call it a fair deal, don't you think?"

"I suppose… Though, if you plan on defeating the Kahuna of Akala Island, shouldn't you rather use your Servine or your Tympole? They would both have a type advantage." Gladion commented, pointing at Marie who happily hopped to him, in the hope he'd take her in his arms. She was disappointed when Gladion just rose a brow at her. I quickly caught her during one of her bounces.

"It's alright Marie." I comforted her, petting her soft body. "And that'd be the easiest solution, yes." I replied. "However I saw the Kahuna." I remembered the Rock Slide move and the unorthodox way she had used it against the Bruxish. "I know she expect me to use Pokemon with a type advantage. And she'd certainly be ready for it. She knows about Gaïa and Marie. So I want to think out of the box and surprise her."

"It makes sense."

"Wait, you agree?" I exclaimed, utterly surprised.

"What's so strange with it?" Gladion countered.

"Nothing. So, you agree to help me with your Lycanroc and I help you with my Servine?"

"That's not what I said. I agreed with your conclusion. I still need to be convinced about how a _Servine_ with _Aqua_ Tail can help an _Umbreon_ with _Iron_ Tail, but I suppose I can 'think out of the box' and see if it works." he said. If he outwardly didn't show any sign of amusement, I could feel it underlying in his tone of voice!

"Hurray!" I exclaimed happily. "You'll see, you'll have a blast!"

"That remains to be seen." He said, toning down my enthusiasm. But I refused to let his pessimistic attitude get to me.

"Oh, you'll see alright! Guys, let's get down to business. Gaïa, show Mr. Hard-Head here how strong your Aqua Tail is." I commanded her.

Gladion scoffed.

"Lycanroc. Show Miss Smartypants what a real Rock Tomb is!" he countered, calling his own Pokemon. And with this, the training session started!


	26. Picnic Break

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Picnic Break**

"Good!" I congratulated my Rufflet who replied with a delighted trilling sound. For the past few hours, we have been training his Rock Tomb move, Gladion's Lycanroc showing Justice how to get it done correctly. At first, the hard as stone feathers landed about anywhere but his opponent. I was pleased to see that he now had left trouble sending them in one direction. "It's still not perfect, but we are getting there." I added with a giggle, petting my bird Pokemon's feather.

The top of the hill looked like a mess with rocks all around. Some had scratches when Sabretooth had decided to use them as scratching post (or training material for his Scratch move) and several had been toppled over and reduced to crumble when Marie had relentlessly attacked them with her tail, as she was imitating Gaïa and Umbreon.

"What do you say we have a break?" I announced, loud enough for everyone to hear me, especially my training companion. Gladion had been closely watching Gaïa and his Pokemon. He had claimed it was 'to make sure [my] Servine doesn't prank [his] Umbreon'. I had felt a bit upset at that. I had raised Gaïa perfectly and sure, she liked to have her fun, but she also knew when it was important to get serious.

And both our Pokemon were still getting at once another, competing about their move. I was pleased to see that Umbreon had almost completely mastered his Iron Tail move. His black and yellow tail glowed in a silvery manner as the Pokemon gathered momentum right before he jumped and turned on himself, his tail landing on one of the rocks Lycanroc had threw there. The stone got another gash.

And three new ones when Gaïa, who didn't want to get outdone, retorted with her Leaf Blade right over the mark Umbreon had made.

"You go girl!" I squealed, giving Gladion a start. I had come next to him and he had been so focused on the battle that he hadn't heard me. "See, I was right. Umbreon learnt Iron Tail alright with Gaïa showing him her Aqua tail." I said proudly.

"None like 'I told you so' people." he replied in a growl. He then shrugged. "Though I guess I have to thank you. I suppose it'd have taken longer if he hadn't had your Servine as example."

"Am I hearing correctly?" I giggled. "You're thanking me? How unexpected."

"You're right. I shouldn't be thanking you." he corrected himself. "Lycanroc helped your Rufflet with his Rock Tomb. It was a mutually beneficial arrangement."

"You don't have to be such a killjoy." I grumped. "It was just joke." I sighed and tried to not let it get to me. After all, even though Gladion wasn't as grateful as I'd have expected him to be, today was still a good day. "But perhaps you'll be thanking me if I were to invite you to have lunch!" I offered.

"What?" he exclaimed, surprised.

"Yeah! We've been training for a long time. It's only fair we take a break. Plus, I am sure your Pokemon are tired too!" To support my point, I pointed at Umbreon and Lycanroc who were panting. Umbreon also seemed to be about to collapse from tiredness. "They need to rest."

As I wasn't getting any answer from Gladion, I decided that _I _deserved a break. And so did my Pokemon.

"Come on guy, let's eat something!" I called them. "You're more than welcome if you want to join us." I said without looking back as Gaïa emitted a joyful noise as she followed me.

Finding a suitable place was a bit complicated as the training had completely changed the way the top of the hill looked like. Hopefully, none would really mind, I thought as I sat down under the shade of a big tree, my Pokemon all around me and looking at me eagerly.

"I know what you're waiting for." I said, opening my bag. Inside were several small paper bags with different sort of Pokemon food, each properly labelled with the Pokemon they were for. "And don't eat too fast. The Pokemon Center is a good way away!" I reminded them, especially Gaïa who I knew didn't take her time to eat.

"Vine." she replied as if I had upset her.

"So be more like a lady when you eat." I retorted, taking my own food out. Ham sandwiches, my favourites, with mustard and ketchup. I also had brought bottles of water for my Pokemon and one with fresh fruit punch for me.

"I really wonder where you put all that food." A deep voice startled me. Right in front of me, a bit in the dark as he was blocking the sun, stood Gladion.

"As it happens, I store it in my stomach." I answered with a smile. I didn't expect him to answer to my invitation and actually come. "I have a pretty high metabolism." I explained as he sat down not too far away from me. "Do you want some?" I asked, opening my bag again. "I took enough for an army."

"No, thank you." he retorted, showing me that he had his own food. Veggies sandwiches if I wasn't mistaken. I didn't picture Gladion to be a vegetarian, or to have any specific diet for that matter.

"Well, guys, watch your manners!" I said to my Pokemon. "We've guests!" I announced, even though they already knew it for Lycanroc had carelessly sat next to Sabretooth and Umbreon was eyeing at Gaïa's bowl. She hissed when the dark furred Pokemon tried to take some of her food.

"Umbreon. Catch!" Gladion told his Pokemon, sending it a berry that Umbreon swiftly caught and elegantly landed next to Gaïa who pouted when she saw it.

"My… I didn't know your Pokemon knew some tricks." I exclaimed. "What else can they do?"

"Hmph…" Gladion only answered and threw another berry to his Lycanroc. However this time, his Mahogany Pokemon didn't catch it. Instead, he made a quick gesture with his right forepaws and the berry landed on the grass, cut into small pieces.

"Impressive!" I said in awe. "You should learn to do that Gaïa!" I told her. The idea didn't seem appealing to her as she pouted some more and looked away. "Don't be jealous." I added with a laugh.

"Don't count on me to teach her that." Gladion notified me.

"I wasn't! I don't want my Pokemon to participate in contest. I want them to be fighters!" I assured him with enthusiasm.

"Yeah, I thought you weren't the kind to take part in beauty pageant."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"You're much to energetic for these… Jeeze, not everything I say is an insult." he growled.

"Fine… Fair enough." I said, crossing my arms over my chest. "I am just tired of people calling me 'not feminine'." I explained.

"Should those people really be to blame though?" He answered, pointing at me. "You don't exactly wear the sort of clothes a 'feminine' girl would. And trust me, I know quite a deal about that."

"I guess…" After all, it was hard to get a girl who would be more feminine than Lillie with her dresses of little miss perfect, her perfect attitude and demeanor. "It's just how I have been raised. And I hate wearing dresses!"

"Hm… I hope your mother wasn't too disappointed." he commented, to my surprise.

"No… Why would she have been? She understood I didn't like them and never forced me to wear any." I answered. "Don't tell me _your mother_ forced _you_ to wear dresses," I said with a laugh as the disturbing image of Gladion in one of his sister's dress came to my mind. My laugh soon died when I saw the glare Gladion was casting me. "Sorry, I didn't mean to offend. Was Lillie forced to wear dresses?"

"When she was little… Mom never wanted her to wear pants or shorts… And she had to make sure her outfit remained clean…" he answered at last.

"Oh… It's sad… how could she have fun if she couldn't run around or play in the dirt?"

"We found other way. In the end, she grew up to be a shy and cautious girl."

"Where does her fear for Pokemon come from?" I suddenly asked. He had said she used to go with him to watch him play with his Eevee and his Rockruff, she certainly couldn't be afraid of Pokemon at that time.

"If she hadn't told you, why would I tell you?"

"Alright, good point." I said with a nod. "But is it why you dress in black when she is all in white? To make the difference with what your parents wanted?"

He stared at me long to the point I was feeling uncomfortable.

"I mean, at first I didn't believe you were siblings." I explained.

"I suppose it may be a reason why…" he finally decided to speak. "Though once I had… gone on my journey, I didn't think I needed to go by my mother's idea of how I should dress."

"Parents shouldn't decide what their children wear. Not once they're old enough to decide for themselves." I stated. "I was lucky enough to have parents who let me make my own decision."

"And that brought you to wear a spiked dog collar…" he commented, earning a glare from me. Though, contrary to what I felt when he had done it to me, Gladion didn't seem fazed at all by it. "I actually am surprised you and Lillie are friends. Regardless of how you dress, even personality wise, you don't seem the kind to get along."

I had a smile at this statement.

"That's where you are wrong. First, I strongly believe Lillie could befriend even the worst individual there is!" I asserted, raising my forefinger. "Second, we're more alike than you thing, we just don't show it the same way."

"Is that so?" he asked, raising a brow, clearly sceptical.

"That is so!" I assured him. "We love Pokemon – she does, otherwise she'd not be in a Pokemon school trying to learn all she can about them. And she tries really hard to solve her issue with touching them." I said before Gladion could comment. "Once we make friends, we're completely supportive of them. We love meeting new people. We also like to learn new things…"

"Alright, I get the point." He interrupted me.

"No need to be mean. I also wanted to add that I admire your sister. She has a very big heart."

"That's true…" Gladion softly said, and this brought a smile to my lips. Under his rough exterior was a big brother who cared about his little sister.

"I am also amazed that, in spite of that mansion she lives in, Lillie is still so modest and gentle." I added. I had never been there, but I had seen the building, all white in the middle of a huge garden. Contrary to what I thought though, my mentioning their mansion didn't seem to please him. I'd have expected him to have good memories there, with his sister and parents. Even though I was starting to believe his and Lillie's mother was much more controlling that was healthy for her children.

"Yeah, whatever." he merely answered. "Is that all?"

"Hm…" I hummed. "No, I also wanted to know… How did you get your Z-Ring?" I asked. That had been on my mind for a while during our training. "You know how I got mine, so it's only fair I know how you got yours."

"It doesn't mean I am going to tell you." he snapped, closing up like a Shellder.

"Alright… I didn't know …" I murmured, surprised at his reaction to an innocent question. "Does Lillie…"

"Don't ask her!" he commanded me, making me jump a bit at the sudden boom.

"Fine… I was just curious…" What could be so private about getting a Z-Ring that made Gladion not want to share the information… "What do you say we go back to training?"

Gladion didn't answer but just got up.

"You sure are a man of many words, aren't you?" I said with a laugh, getting up in turn. "You remind me of Drayden." I added with a heavy sigh. "It's the Dragon Type Gym leader in Opelucid City." I went on explaining when I caught his look of incomprehension.

"Do you know him?"

"No, not personally. I just heard about him being the quiet type from one of the teachers at his academy. I wanted to go these so badly… But it never happened…" I said with a sad smile. "But in the end, it's not too bad. Had I gone there, I'd not be able to be here today."

"I don't understand why going to that academy would have prevented you to come here." he shrugged.

"It's different there… Classes are much harder and students aren't free to go as they please." I explained. "Plus, in the end, we're sorta forced to get a job related to Dragon Pokemon. I don't mind dragon, but they're quite …" I stopped mid-sentence as my phone began to buzz. Ash.

"Hello?" My greeting was drowned by Ash's flow of words. He spoke of coloured shards and many fossils and I didn't understand much of it except that, apparently, their treasure hunt was over.

"Alright. I'll see you all at the harbour." I finally said once Ash let me speak. I then hung up on him. "I need to head out." The group is going back to the Pokemon Center."

"Sure."

"And don't worry, I won't tell Lillie, or anyone, that I met you." I promised him as I swung my backpack into place, adjusting it to a comfortable position. "And let me tell you that I had a good time. Hopefully we can do that again in the future!" I told him with a little wink that, to my surprise and delight, brought a red shade to his cheeks. He wasn't half that bad when you got to know him, I thought. And he had a lot more in common with Lillie than what his rough exterior let on. Now, what else could these siblings be hiding?


	27. Results and Announcement

**Disclaimer: This story, the OC -main, secondary or otherwise- don't belong to be but to a dear friend of mine who decided not to share it here. So I took it upon myself to do it for her.  
****However as to ****not**** be accused of plagiarism, I still made a few changes so it was more in my style than in hers (but that's about all that'll be changed). If anything, think of it as a remake.**

**Regarding the main cast from Pokemon, they belong to Game Freak or whoever o****wn them.**

**Results and Announcement**

As I exited the Pokemon Centre located on the harbor where I had left my Pokemon so they could get some rest and heal after their training, I saw that all the gang was already there, speaking excitedly. Though, contrary to what I'd have thought, Ash wasn't the most excited of them all, Lillie and Lana were. I also noticed that neither the Kahuna nor Professor Kukui were with them.

"Hey guys," I greeted them. "What did I miss? All I understood from Ash's ramble is that you all had a great time."

"We sure did!" Lana answered with a bright elated smile.

"And did you all find great treasures?"

"You bet!" Kiawe answered. He was about to go on and tell me what he has found when Ash interrupted him. Or rather, his stomach did, bringing our attention to him.

"Eh… I guess I am hungry after today's adventures." He said sheepishly. "And Kahuna Olivia had told us of a great place where to eat…"

"Eating sounds good right now," Mallow approved. "And besides, I managed to find a few good mushrooms and a Lansat Berry." She proudly showed off the red spiked fruit. "That'd make a very good salad." She assured us.

"You don't plan on cooking it though?" Sophocles asked. "We're not going to go at your family's restaurant. You should take it easy and let other people prepare your food." he stated on a dogmatic tone.

"Alright, fine." she relented. "Still, that's a shame to have such good food go to waste."

"Why would they go to waste?" I asked. "You could give them to a Pokemon. Or turn them into Poffin. Pokemon like the taste of Poffin."

"It's a nice idea, Jade. However I don't have the material to make Poffin."

"I could lend you mine." I offered. Mallow just stared at me as if I had sprouted another head. "What? My mother made me pack it in case Gaïa or Marie would like to have some Poffin." I explained with a shrug. "I am not good at it, but I know the basic… I could show you how it's done."

"That's a very nice offer." she exclaimed, taking my arm and the lead to the restaurant the Kahuna had told them about. I wanted to tell them that I wasn't hungry as I had eaten not too long ago, yet I decided not to. After all, even if I didn't eat, I could still share a drink with them, and I still wanted to know what they had found.

The restaurant itself didn't look like Mallow's family's restaurant. Where Mallow's was bright yellow with a white board displaying the name 'Aina's Kitchen' and showing a cute pink flower, this one was light blue with several water type Pokemon painted upfront and on the front window. I supposed it mostly sold sea food.

"Here we are!" Ash gloated. I could almost see him drooling from imagining what his meal would be. "Let's go in!" He didn't wait for us and went inside. I shook my head. This boy was even worse than my Pokemon when it came to eat. "What are you waiting for? Come in!" he called us from inside when he saw we hadn't followed him right away.

"Is it me or doesn't he know what patience is?" Mallow asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Let's go though, I am getting hungry!" Lana countered even though she seemed to agree with her friend's statement as she nodded.

The inside of the restaurant was nothing like Mallow's. Inside is almost entirely white and blue with the painting of a beach on one of the wall. There was an aquarium standing in the middle of the dining room with several Shellders inside. Up on the ceiling and on one of the wall, behind the counter, the owner had thought it'd be a good idea to have fishnets hanging. There also was a brown wooden tiller and several other sea related items. There weren't too many people in, a few locals and some tourists. Ash was already sitting at a table, checking the menu.

"All of it looks so good!" he said with enthusiasm. "I don't know what to choose!"

"I'd advice you to take something you know and are sure to like!" I answered, sitting down between Lana and Lillie as the others took their seats. I skimmed through the menu and nothing in it seemed appealing to be. I didn't mind fish, but I was a girl from the land, nothing beat a good steak to me.

"How can we help you today?" A waitress, a sweet looking dark skinned girl with Wishiwashi barrettes in her braided hair. Her outfit was blue and white and she had a gentle smile as we all gave her our order, Ash's taking longer, of course, as he was hesitating.

"So, Kiawe, what did you find during this hunt?" I asked the tall and dark boy. I remembered that he had seemed really pleased with himself.

"Several fossils." he answered. "A plume fossil and a skull fossil!" he proudly added. "And with these, I earned 300 points!"

"A plume and a skull fossils?" I repeated. "How lucky you are." I had heard of the plume fossil at school and, of course, of the Archen Pokemon it was the remains of. I didn't expect to have such fossils here on the archipelago though. "Are such fossils commonly found here?"

"Not at all." Sophocles informed me. "Kiawe got extremely lucky!" he went on, crossing his arms over his chest, while the taller boy's skin darkened around the cheeks. "I discovered that a meteor had fallen on Akala Island several thousands of years ago, breaking apart into many valuable fragments. It probably was also responsible for the fossils that Kiawe's Stoutland had unearthed. The professor was surprised and deeply interested, of course, even though it's not his field of research. He said he was going to send them to different museums. With Kiawe's approval, of course."

"And what have _you_ found?" I asked the overweight boy, curious about his own discovery.

"This!" he stated, putting his hand in his pocket and showing me a small red star shaped shard. "A star piece!"

"And… what's the use of it?" I wondered out loud, a bit disconcerted by the find and unaware if it was something rare or not.

"None. It's just pretty." Sophocles replied. "I plan on giving it to my mother. Or I could ask the Kahuna to set it on a ring?" he suggested for himself. "I am sure she'd like that."

"I'd think so!" Lillie agreed with a nod. "Jewels are so pretty and enhance a woman's beauty." I chose not to say anything about that. After all, I was wearing some sort of jewellery too with my dog collar, but it certainly wasn't to 'enhance my beauty'. I just thought it looked cool. And fierce.

"Have you found one of those star pieces?" I asked, tilting my head. "You seemed rather satisfied earlier."

"That's true. But I haven't found any stones or jewels."

"Some berries or fruits then?" I suggested as the waitress came back with our order. The conversation lulled until she had served us all and had gone away under our thanks.

"Not at all. Actually… I didn't go treasure hunting." she confessed, looking down and her cheeks turning slightly pink.

"You didn't? What did you to then?"

"I… I managed to ride a Stoutland!" she proudly announced as if it was an amazing feat. Given who it was who was talking, it actually _was_ an amazing feat. I wondered if she was going to say this to Gladion and how he'd react. From the little I had seen and deducted from him, I could picture him being delighted at the news, in his calm way, and congratulating her.

"How did it feel riding a Stoutland?" I chose to ask her instead of mentioning her brother, as I sipped a bit of the juice I had in my glass.

"It… It felt great!" she exclaimed. "I could never have guessed that their fur was so soft. And they are quite peaceful too! The Stoutland I had just took me from one end of the track to another. Pikachu and Snowy could follow it." She really looked pleased and as if she had just mastered some impossibly hard skill.

"My congratulations to you!" I said, raising my glass as if raising a toast at her victory. All the other raised their own glasses and mirrored my words, making Lillie giggle. I turned to Lana. "That leaves you and Ash."

"True. Do you want to tell what you found Ash?" Lana asked, a cryptic teasing expression on her face.

"Meh… I know I lost." the dark haired boy stated, sulking. Which didn't prevent him from eating his meal with good appetite. "I only found some coloured shards. Kahuna Olivia said they were pretty, but also pretty common. She uses several of these in her shop to create stuff for the tourists."

"Don't be so disappointed," I commented. "I am sure your findings made a young girl happy with the bracelet Kahuna Olivia will make of them." I teased Ash who just shrugged at that, clearly not caring what happened with those shards. I waited for Lana to show what she had found, but nothing came. She was focusing her attention on the content of her plate. I found it strange.

"Lana…?" I called her. "Don't tell me you haven't found anything."

"Me?" she said, looking innocently at me. "Oh, I have found something."

"And…?" I was growing impatient.

"And I don't have it with me." she replied with a laugh and a wave of her hand. "I left it with Kahuna Olivia."

"Was it some shards too?" I pressed her and the other. They knew what she had found, yet they didn't say anything, playing Lana's game and waiting for her to tell, in her own time.

"Not at all." She took a dramatic pause during which she placed her cutlery neatly next to her finished plate. "It was a Z-Ring ore!"

"A… A what?" I exclaimed, raising a brow. It was a lame answer, and I had guessed it had something to do with the Ring I had on my wrist, but I had never heard of 'Z-Ring ore' before.

"Oh, that's right. You don't know because you got yours from Tapu Bulu." Lana laughed. "A Z-Ring ore is an ore used by the Kahuna to make Z-Ring! And it's the most valuable find one could make!"

"That makes sense!" I admitted. "Congratulations! You won the contest then?"

"Sure did! I could have had the rewards too, but I decided not to take it. The Z-Ring itself was more than rewarding. And you know that I didn't think I was going to win?" she excitedly added. "The Stoutland I had was rather hard headed and didn't seem to be willing to help me. So I decided to count on my Popplio…"

Lana proceded to tell how she managed to find the precious ore and how it got her 500 points, thus securing her the first place. By the time she was done, we were heading back to the Pokemon Center where we'd be spending the night. This time, the professor was there.

"Hey children. I hope you had a good time today! How did your training go, Jade? As good as you'd have hoped?"

"And even better!" I answered with a smile, though I didn't explain further. After all, I had promised Gladion I'd not tell that he was there to anyone, especially not his sister. "I am so ready for the battle against the Kahuna!"

"But you know that before it can happen you'll need to defeat some totem Pokemon." he stated.

"Oh, I know that." I replied. "And if we are ready for the Kahuna, we are ready for any Totem!"

"That's the spirit!" he said with a laugh. "And you might find one sooner than expected!" he added with a wink.

"What do you mean?" But the professor didn't answer. Instead, he asked the Nurse Joy where we'd be staying and she told us two rooms – one for the girls, the other for the boys – had been booked for us upstairs. "What was Professor Kukui saying?" I asked my room mates as we entered the bedroom.

"Tomorrow we're going to Brooklet Hill!" Lana explained, letting herself drop on one of the beds.

"Brooklet Hill? What's there?

"You don't know?" Lana hollered, sitting back up.

"I…. Well, no. Otherwise I'd not be asking." I replied, taking my toothbrush and toothpaste from my backpack.

"It's an awesome place, you'll see. There are many lakes and Water Type Pokemon!"

"And Totem Pokemon too." I completed.

"Maybe. If we are lucky." she admitted.

Hm… That meant a change of plan. If the Totem Pokemon I was supposed to battle was a Water Type, Gaïa would come in handy with her newly mastered Leaf Blade, I thought, staring at the Pokeball in which my Servine was soundly sleeping, unaware of what awaited her the next day. Still, I couldn't just rely on Gaïa for this, could I? I was pulled out of my thoughts when a pillow landed on my head.

"Hey! What…" But I couldn't finish my sentence as I got another hit from another pillow. "Alright girls, you want to play this game…" I seized the pillow that had fallen on my bed and joined the fight with delight.


End file.
